The two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi ended on Friday without a joint statement due to "differing views" on the US-Israeli war against Iran and the current situation in West Asia, the Indian government said in a statement.
Representatives expressed "their respective national positions and shared a range of perspectives," the Indian statement read. The statement added that one member state had "reservations" about issues related to Gaza, as well as security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during the meeting that "Iran is a country that cannot be divided. The era of American dominance is over."
He also singled out the UAE for blocking the ministerial BRICS statement, and pointed out its "own special relationship with Israel."
The BRICS meeting coincided with major tensions between the Islamic Republic and the UAE – both bloc members. Tehran has repeatedly slammed the direct Emirati involvement in the US-Israeli war.
On Thursday during the BRICS summit, Araghchi urged all members of the bloc to condemn the "unlawful aggression" by the US and Israel.
Araghchi directly addressed the Emirati representative during the meeting, calling Abu Dhabi an "active partner" in the war on Iran.
"I didn’t name the UAE in my [opening] statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn’t even issue a condemnation," Araghchi said.
The comments were a response to remarks made by the Emirati representative during the BRICS meeting, according to Iranian media reports. Iranian media did not specify exactly what the UAE representative said.
The Emirati government denied a statement this week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he visited the UAE during the war.
According to a newer report by Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir and other military officials also visited the UAE during the war on Iran.
Since the 2020 Abraham Accords, Israel and the UAE have dramatically accelerated cooperation in security, trade, and other fields.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia both opened up their air bases to US jets for attacks on the Islamic Republic throughout the war. Israel also deployed an Iron Dome system to the UAE, along with a crew to operate it. According to new western media reports, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia carried out their own military strikes against Iran.
In a mid-April letter, Iran’s UN envoy said Tehran will be demanding compensation from five Arab states, charging them with direct involvement and participation in the US-Israeli war.