Leaders of the BRICS bloc have sharply rebuked america and Israeli bombardments of Iran in June, calling them a “blatant breach of worldwide regulation” whereas voicing robust assist for the creation of a Palestinian state.
However their joint declaration on Sunday, issued at a summit within the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, was largely silent about one other main warfare that’s now in its fourth yr and during which a founding BRICS member – Russia – is the aggressor: the battle in Ukraine. As an alternative, it criticised Ukrainian assaults on Russian soil.
The fastidiously worded declaration, launched amid escalating commerce tensions with the US, condemned aggressive financial insurance policies with out instantly naming US President Donald Trump. Virtually all 10 members of BRICS, a bloc of rising world economies, are at the moment engaged in delicate commerce talks with the US and are attempting to claim their positions with out scary additional tensions.
Nonetheless, the BRICS assertion did take goal at “unilateral tariff and non-tariff limitations” that “skew world commerce and flout WTO [World Trade Organization] rules”, a transparent, although oblique critique of Trump’s protectionist agenda, earlier than a deadline on Wednesday for brand spanking new US tariffs to probably kick in.
Trump responded to the BRICS declaration inside hours, warning on his social media platform, Fact Social, that international locations siding with what he termed “anti-American insurance policies” would face added tariffs.
“Any Nation aligning themselves with the Anti-American insurance policies of BRICS, might be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There might be no exceptions to this coverage,” he wrote.
Which international locations are a part of BRICS, and who attended the summit?
The primary BRICS summit was held in 2009 with the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China coming collectively. South Africa joined in 2010, and the bloc has since change into a serious voice for the International South.
Final yr, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined the group, increasing its affect additional and turning the bloc right into a 10-nation entity.
There may be rising curiosity from rising economies to affix the bloc with greater than 30 nations queueing up for membership. Argentina was anticipated to affix however withdrew its software after ultra-conservative President Javier Milei, an ally of Trump, took workplace in December 2023.
The Rio summit was led by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Most different member international locations have been represented by their leaders with three exceptions: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have been absent.
Xi had attended all earlier BRICS summits since taking workplace in 2013 whereas Putin has prevented most worldwide journeys for the reason that Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in opposition to him over his position within the warfare on Ukraine in March 2023. Brazil is a member of the ICC and would have been required underneath the Rome Statute, which established the court docket, to arrest Putin if he visited.
Russia and Iran have been represented by their overseas ministers and China by Premier Li Qiang.
This was the primary summit attended by Indonesia after its induction into the bloc this yr.
The BRICS assertion additionally welcomed Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan as new BRICS associate international locations – a standing that locations them on a perch under full membership and permits the bloc to extend cooperation with them.
Condemnation of US-Israel strikes on Iran
Of their declaration, member states described the current Israeli and American attacks on Iran as a “violation of worldwide regulation”, expressing “grave concern” concerning the deteriorating safety state of affairs within the Center East.
The battle started on June 13 when Israel launched air strikes on Iranian navy, nuclear and civilian websites, killing a minimum of 935 individuals, together with prime navy and scientific leaders. Iran’s Ministry of Well being reported 5,332 individuals have been injured.
Tehran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel, killing a minimum of 29 individuals and injuring lots of extra, based on figures from Israeli authorities.
A US-brokered ceasefire got here into impact on June 24 though the US had supported Israeli strikes simply days earlier by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear services on June 21.
The BRICS assertion underscored the significance of upholding “nuclear safeguards, security, and safety. … together with in armed conflicts, to guard individuals and the surroundings from hurt”.
Gaza warfare and Palestinian statehood
As Israel’s 21-month-long war on Gaza continues, BRICS denounced the usage of hunger as a weapon of warfare and rejected the politicisation or militarisation of humanitarian support.
The bloc threw its assist behind UNRWA, the UN support company for Palestinian refugees, which has been banned by Israel.
In late Might throughout its blockade on support for Gaza, Israel allowed the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF), a personal US organisation, to offer meals to the individuals within the enclave. The transfer has been extensively criticised by world rights our bodies, particularly since lots of of Palestinians searching for support have been shot and killed whereas approaching the GHF’s support distribution websites.
BRICS additionally reaffirmed its place, one that’s extensively held globally, that Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution are each integral components of a future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On October 7, 2023, almost 1,200 individuals have been killed in Israel in Hamas assaults, throughout which Palestinian fighters additionally took greater than 240 individuals captive. Since then, Israel has waged a warfare on Gaza, killing greater than 57,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them ladies and kids, and destroying greater than 70 p.c of Gaza’s infrastructure. In that very same interval, Israel has additionally killed greater than 1,000 individuals within the West Financial institution.
Opposition to unilateral sanctions
The BRICS declaration strongly condemned the imposition of “unilateral coercive measures”, similar to financial sanctions, arguing that they violate worldwide regulation and hurt human rights.
BRICS members Iran and Russia have been targets of longstanding US sanctions.
After the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the assault on the US embassy in Tehran, Washington imposed a variety of sanctions. These have been ramped up within the 2010s because the US underneath then-President Barack Obama tried to strain Iran to barter a nuclear deal in trade for sanctions aid. However two years after that deal got here into impact, Trump, who succeeded Obama as president, pulled out of the settlement and slapped robust sanctions again on Iran. Since then, the US has imposed extra sanctions on Iran, together with a set of measures last week.
Russia, previously the US’s Chilly Conflict rival, has additionally confronted repeated waves of sanctions, significantly after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump tariffs known as a ‘menace’
With the worldwide economic system in turmoil over Trump’s commerce insurance policies, BRICS voiced concern over his tariffs regime.
Trump has set Wednesday as a deadline to finalise new commerce agreements, after which international locations failing to strike offers with Washington will face elevated tariffs.
The BRICS bloc, a serious power within the world economic system, is projected to outpace world common gross home product development in 2025.
In accordance with April information from the Worldwide Financial Fund, the economies of BRICS international locations will collectively develop at 3.4 p.c in contrast with a 2.8 p.c world common.
The world’s prime 10 economies by measurement embrace the rich Group of Seven nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US – and three BRICS nations – Brazil, China and India.
The group warned that protectionist commerce insurance policies threat lowering world commerce, disrupting provide chains and heightening financial uncertainty, undermining the world’s improvement objectives.
Pahalgam assault condemned
Two months after the Pahalgam assault in India-administered Kashmir, during which gunmen killed 26 civilians, BRICS condemned the incident “within the strongest phrases”.
However even with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi current, the assertion didn’t point out Pakistan, which New Delhi has accused of supporting the attackers in April.
The 2 international locations fought a four-day warfare in Might after Indian strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan has denied involvement within the Pahalgam assault and known as for a “credible, clear, unbiased” investigation.
The BRICS assertion urged “zero tolerance” for “terrorism” and rejected any “double requirements” in counterterrorism efforts.
Silence on Ukraine warfare
The prolonged assertion made no direct point out of Russia’s warfare in Ukraine besides to name for a “sustainable peace settlement”.
Nonetheless, it did condemn Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure in Might and June, citing civilian casualties and expressing its “strongest” opposition to such actions.