BRICS: India hits out at sanctions, calls for free Hormuz transit, supports 2-state Palestine solution

As the current BRICS Chair, India issued a national statement at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting (New Delhi, May 14–15, 2026), read out by the External ...

What Happened

As the current BRICS Chair, India issued a national statement at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting (New Delhi, May 14–15, 2026), read out by the External Affairs Minister.
The statement condemned "unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the UN Charter," noting they "disproportionately affect developing countries" — a pointed reference to US sanctions without naming the United States.
India called for "safe and unimpeded maritime flows through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea" — framing maritime security as a global economic necessity.
The statement reiterated India's support for a two-state solution on Palestine and called for a sustained ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza.
India noted that US sanctions had halted its own Iran trade and created economic headwinds including threatened tariffs on Indian exports, underscoring the real economic cost of the sanctions architecture for developing nations.

Static Topic Bridges

Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs) and Their Legality Under International Law

"Unilateral coercive measures" (UCMs) is the diplomatic and legal term for economic sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by one state or group of states without UN Security Council authorisation.

UN Charter Article 41 authorises the Security Council — not individual states — to impose binding economic sanctions on states threatening international peace and security.
Unilateral sanctions imposed outside the UNSC framework (e.g., US secondary sanctions, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act/CAATSA, the Iran-specific JCPOA-related sanctions) are not legally binding on third countries under international law, though their extraterritorial reach forces compliance through market access threats.
The UN General Assembly has passed multiple resolutions against UCMs: Resolution 75/181 (2020) reaffirmed that UCMs against developing countries violate international law. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures has documented systemic harm to civilian populations from such measures.
CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, 2017): US domestic law that mandates sanctions on entities engaging in significant transactions with Russia, Iran, or North Korea — directly affecting Indian defence imports from Russia (e.g., S-400 system).
India's position: UCMs imposed without UNSC authorisation are inconsistent with the UN Charter and disproportionately harm developing economies that trade with sanctioned states.

Connection to this news: India's national statement at BRICS criticising UCMs directly references the impact of US sanctions on India's own energy trade (Iran) and export markets — a principled position that also serves India's concrete economic interests.

BRICS as a Platform for Global Governance Reform

BRICS has evolved from a Goldman Sachs analytical construct (coined by Jim O'Neill in 2001) into a formal intergovernmental grouping that now explicitly challenges Western-dominated global governance institutions.

Original BRIC (without South Africa): Brazil, Russia, India, China — first formal summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia (2009). South Africa joined in 2010, making it BRICS.
2024 expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE joined as full members. Indonesia joined in early 2025 — making the current membership 11 full members.
BRICS collective GDP (PPP): the bloc accounts for approximately 35–37% of global GDP (PPP) as of 2025 — larger than the G7 in purchasing power terms.
BRICS New Development Bank (NDB): established under the Fortaleza Declaration (2014); headquarters in Shanghai; initial subscribed capital of $50 billion. The NDB provides development financing as an alternative to the World Bank and IMF.
BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA): a $100 billion financial safety net established in 2014 to provide liquidity support to members facing balance of payments pressures — positioned as an alternative to IMF emergency lending.
India's 2026 BRICS Chairship is its fourth (previous: 2012, 2016, 2021). The 2026 theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."

Connection to this news: India's national statement at the BRICS ministerial is significant because India — as Chair — is shaping the bloc's collective messaging. The criticism of UCMs and call for multilateral solutions aligns with the broader BRICS agenda of reforming a global order seen as skewed toward Western interests.

India's "Multi-Alignment" and the Sanctions Dilemma

India's strategic autonomy doctrine is tested acutely when US sanctions create economic costs for Indian businesses and energy companies engaging with sanctioned states like Iran and Russia.

India's exposure to US sanctions architecture: India purchased Russian oil in large volumes (rising from 1% of imports in 2017 to approximately 36% in 2024) after the Ukraine war triggered Western sanctions on Russia, attracting US scrutiny under CAATSA.
India-Iran trade (before 2019 sanctions): India was Iran's second-largest oil customer; trade included Iranian crude imports and Indian pharmaceutical/food exports. All halted post-2019 "maximum pressure" campaign.
Chabahar exemption: The US granted India a specific sanctions waiver for Chabahar port development — recognising the port's strategic significance as an alternative route to Afghanistan.
"Dollar weaponisation" narrative: India has been among states advocating for rupee-based trade settlements and alternative payment mechanisms (e.g., rupee-rouble trade with Russia) to reduce vulnerability to US dollar-denominated sanctions.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines in July 2022 allowing international trade settlement in Indian Rupees — a structural step toward reducing dollar dependency in bilateral trade.

Connection to this news: India's BRICS statement criticising UCMs reflects both a principled foreign policy position and a practical response to the direct economic damage that US sanctions have inflicted on India's energy supply chains — including the Iran trade and now the Hormuz crisis.

Key Facts & Data

BRICS term coined by Jim O'Neill (Goldman Sachs): 2001.
First BRIC summit: Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2009. South Africa joined 2010.
2024 expansion new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE. Indonesia joined 2025.
Total BRICS full members (2026): 11.
BRICS New Development Bank (NDB): established 2014 (Fortaleza Declaration); HQ: Shanghai; initial capital: $50 billion.
BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA): $100 billion, established 2014.
BRICS share of global GDP (PPP): approximately 35–37% (2025).
India's BRICS Chairship 2026 theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
CAATSA enacted: 2017 (US domestic law).
RBI rupee trade settlement guideline: July 2022.
UN UNSC Article 41: authorises Council-mandated sanctions; unilateral sanctions outside this framework are legally contested.
India's Russian oil import share: grew from ~1% (2017) to ~36% (2024).