18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi: The New Delhi Declaration and the Iran-UAE Sideline Breakthrough
Despite deep internal cracks over the active wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the leaders of the expanded BRICS bloc gathered in New Delhi, India, from September 12–13, 2026, for the 18th BRICS Summit. Under India's presidency, the summit culminated in the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on September 12, 2026.
The 45-page declaration sought to navigate deep divisions by employing carefully generalized language. It called for "maximum restraint" in the Middle East, condemned unilateral wars and sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council, and criticized global trade distortions and tariffs without naming or condemning specific countries. The summit also saw the return of Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Delhi for the first time in seven years, signaling a steady thawing of India-China relations.
A major diplomatic breakthrough occurred on the sidelines of the summit, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was the highest-level bilateral meeting between Iran and the UAE since the outbreak of the regional war1. Despite ongoing tensions—and a late August Iranian drone strike targeting the UAE's Al Minhad Air Base—both nations signed onto the joint BRICS statement calling for restraint and the protection of global trade, supply chains, and maritime security.
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An instance of Commercial and strategic imperatives inevitably dismantle long-standing policies of diplomatic isolation. — Strategic necessity pulls recently warring neighbors back into open contact despite active hostilities between them. ↩︎