Iran and UAE Endorse BRICS Call for ‘Maximum Restraint’ as New Delhi Summit Bridges Wartime Divide
By Shahnoor Saqib — SCN NEWS
NEW DELHI — Iran and the United Arab Emirates have backed a BRICS declaration calling for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East, a significant display of diplomatic consensus between two members whose relations have been strained by six months of regional warfare and direct accusations over the conflict.
The declaration adopted at the BRICS summit in New Delhi expressed “deep concern” over the continued escalation of tensions in the Middle East/West Asia and called on states to exercise maximum restraint and avoid steps that could worsen the situation. The wording also stressed civilian protection, sovereignty and the broader consequences of conflict for regional stability and international commerce.
What makes the agreement particularly significant is not the language alone, but the countries accepting it. Iran and the UAE have spent much of 2026 sharply divided over the regional war, yet both remained inside the consensus necessary for BRICS leaders to issue their declaration.
The carefully negotiated formulation includes an important diplomatic qualifier: BRICS members made the appeal while “recalling our respective national positions.” That phrase allowed governments with fundamentally different accounts of the conflict to endorse a common demand for restraint without abandoning their individual accusations or security positions.
That compromise contrasts sharply with the atmosphere surrounding the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi in May. At that gathering, UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar publicly rejected Iranian allegations and accused Tehran of attacks on the UAE and other regional states. Abu Dhabi said at the time that Iran had threatened its sovereignty and disrupted maritime routes including the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Foreign Ministry subsequently maintained that it was acting defensively and accused Iran of launching thousands of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones toward the country during the conflict. Abu Dhabi nevertheless has repeatedly presented de-escalation and regional stability as central elements of its diplomacy. In a statement issued only days before the BRICS summit, the ministry said the UAE's engagement had consistently been directed toward de-escalation, stability and preventing violence.
The ability of BRICS members to produce a common summit declaration is therefore notable because their foreign ministers had failed earlier in the year to reach comparable consensus. Negotiators preparing the September summit were reported to have spent considerable time working on the section dealing with West Asia, where Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia all entered the talks with different strategic interests.
The final language avoided explicitly assigning responsibility for the war. Instead, it emphasized restraint, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity. That approach provided enough political space for both Tehran and Abu Dhabi to join the statement while retaining their respective national positions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the summit while the UAE delegation was led by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE had confirmed before the summit that Sheikh Khaled would head its delegation to the September 12-13 meeting.
Reuters reported that Pezeshkian and Sheikh Khaled also held the highest-level Iran-UAE talks since the conflict began, discussing regional stability and peace. No breakthrough or formal bilateral settlement was announced, making the BRICS declaration itself the clearest immediate evidence that the two governments were willing to participate in the same de-escalatory diplomatic framework.
The outcome also marks an institutional test for BRICS. The grouping has expanded beyond its original major emerging economies to include Middle Eastern states whose security interests can directly collide. Iran and the UAE became members in the bloc’s expansion, while Saudi Arabia also participates in the wider BRICS framework.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the summit that the Middle East war did not serve the interests of the international community, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the need for BRICS to translate its growing political weight into practical cooperation. Russia, China and other members have increasingly sought to portray the grouping as a platform through which emerging powers can influence global security and economic governance.
The declaration should not, however, be interpreted as evidence that Iran and the UAE have resolved the disputes created by the war. Abu Dhabi has maintained strong allegations against Tehran, while Iran has disputed the regional narrative advanced by its adversaries. The wording agreed in New Delhi deliberately preserves those differences.
Its significance lies instead in something narrower but measurable: after months in which opposing war narratives prevented BRICS diplomacy from producing a unified position, Iran and the UAE accepted language requiring restraint and discouraging further escalation.