Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal speaks during an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia at National Media Centre, in New Delhi on March 14, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Efforts to build a consensus within the BRICS on the ongoing conflict in the Gulf have been slow as several members of the grouping—including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—are involved in the crisis that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, said a senior Indian official on Saturday (March 14, 2026).
“Some BRICS members are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region, which has impacted forging a consensus on a common BRICS position on the ongoing conflict. As Chair of BRICS, India has been facilitating discussions among members through the Sherpa channel,” said Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Iran-Israel war updates on March 14, 2026
The acknowledgement of intra-BRICS negotiation came even as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar continued his telephone calls with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi and other regional diplomats. Mr. Jaishankar held his latest call with Mr. Araghchi on Thursday (March 12, 2026), when the BRICS Sherpas meeting took place virtually. “In this conversation, we discussed and exchanged views on bilateral matters as well as issues related to BRICS,” Mr. Jaishankar said in an online post on Friday (March 14, 2026).
The BRICS grouping is scheduled to meet in India later this year. India is the current Chair of the 11-member bloc, which expanded on January 1, 2024, when Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE became members.
However, the conflict in the Gulf has placed the grouping under stress from multiple directions. Following the U.S.-Israel attacks on Tehran and other Iranian locations, Iran retaliated by targeting U.S. military and security assets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as U.S.-owned energy installations in the region. The rulers of the UAE are calling on Iran to halt the attacks and allow space for diplomacy.
The crisis has also triggered energy market disruptions, affecting major energy-importing BRICS members such as China and India, and increasing calls for a de-escalation of the conflict.
Published – March 14, 2026 10:59 pm IST
