Iran and the United Arab Emirates endorsed a joint statement issued by the BRICS group of nations on Saturday, urging restraint in the ongoing Middle East conflict. The shared commitment marked a notable moment of diplomatic engagement between two regional powers divided by the war.
On the opening day of the summit held in New Delhi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The encounter represents the highest-level direct dialogue between the two countries since the onset of the conflict.
According to a statement released on X by the Abu Dhabi Media Office, the leaders held discussions focused on regional and global developments, de-escalation strategies, stability, and collective initiatives to promote regional peace and progress. The statement did not outline any formal resolutions stemming from the talks.
The summit served as a platform to test the diplomatic influence of BRICS, an alliance founded in 2009 to offer a counterweight to global structures dominated by the United States and its Western allies. Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Throughout the gathering, diplomats and organizers focused heavily on narrowing the diplomatic divide between Iran and the UAE, even as exchange strikes persisted between the United States and Iran in the ongoing six-month-old war.
The tension follows previous military actions during the conflict, including late-August Iranian strikes aimed at the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, which housed U.S. troops and helicopters.
In the joint text, member states signaled alarm over rising regional instability while calling for immediate cool-headedness.
”We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia … call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation,” the joint BRICS declaration read.
The declaration further advocated for protecting non-combatants, upholding state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and safeguarding global commercial activities, supply chains, energy distribution, and maritime navigation.