Iran Tells BRICS UAE Played Direct Role in Attacks on Its Territory

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India on May 14, 2026, where he accused the United Arab Emirates of direct involvement in military operations against Iran. Araghchi told the gathering that the UAE was "directly involved in the aggression against my country," the Iranian semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The remarks marked a rare moment when Iranian and Emirati officials shared the same room since the US and Israel's war on Iran began at the end of February 2026.

In response to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Tehran launched strikes on US military sites and assets in Gulf States, including the UAE. Araghchi called on BRICS nations to condemn violations of international law by the United States and Israel. " Araghchi said Iran was a victim of illegal expansionism and warmongering.

He urged BRICS+ nations to resist Western hegemony and the sense of impunity that the US believes it is entitled to. The BRICS+ grouping comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the UAE. " The meeting took place as disruptions around Gulf shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz continue to drive volatility in oil and gas markets.

India is the world's third-largest oil buyer and normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz. About 20 percent of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime. Araghchi insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is open for all commercial vessels that cooperate with its navy.

India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off Oman on Wednesday as unacceptable. All sailors from the attacked Indian-flagged ship off Oman were rescued safely by Muscat. "We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," India's Ministry of External Affairs said, without giving further details of who launched the attack.

The US and Israel's war on Iran has added strain to India's economy, heavily reliant on Middle Eastern energy supplies and fertiliser imports. Iran's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi told news agency Press Trust of India that "one member country" had pushed for language condemning Iran, complicating efforts to build consensus within the grouping.

"We want India's BRICS chairship to be successful.

It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that the BRICS is divided," Gharibabadi said. India will hold a BRICS leaders' summit later this year, and the foreign ministers will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the foreign ministry said. It was not immediately clear how or whether the UAE and other nations attending the BRICS+ meeting had responded to Araghchi's remarks.

With deep divisions among some members over the war in the Middle East, it was not clear whether BRICS, which operates on consensus, would release a joint statement at the meeting's end.