BRICS leaders condemn Gaza and Iran attacks

7/7/2025 6:03

Leaders of the BRICS group of

developing nations on Sunday condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran,

called for reforms of global institutions and presented the bloc

as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and

trade wars.



With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies

hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive "America First"

approach of U.S. President Donald Trump, expansion of the BRICS

has opened new space for diplomatic coordination.



In opening remarks to the summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew a parallel with the

Cold War's Non-Aligned Movement, a group of developing nations

that resisted joining either side of a polarized global order.



"BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement," Lula told

leaders. "With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in

check once again."



BRICS nations now represent more than half the world's

population and 40% of its economic output, Lula noted in remarks

on Saturday to business leaders warning of rising protectionism.



The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil,

Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc

later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia,

Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as

members. This is the first summit of leaders to include

Indonesia.



"The vacuum left by others ends up being filled almost

instantly by the BRICS," said a Brazilian diplomat who asked not

to be named. Although the G7 still concentrates vast power, the

diplomat added, "it doesn't have the predominance it once did."



However, there are questions about the shared goals of an

increasingly heterogeneous BRICS group, which has grown to

include regional rivals along with major emerging economies.



Stealing some thunder from this year's summit, Chinese

President Xi Jinping chose to send his premier in his place.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an

arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.



Still, several heads of state were gathered for discussions

at Rio's Museum of Modern Art on Sunday and Monday, including

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President

Cyril Ramaphosa.



More than 30 nations have expressed interest in

participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners.







GROWING CLOUT, COMPLEXITY



Expansion of the BRICS has added diplomatic weight to the

gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across

the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global

institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the

International Monetary Fund.



"If international governance does not reflect the new

multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to

help bring it up to date," Lula said in his remarks, which

highlighted the failure of U.S.-led wars in the Middle East.



Urging the BRICS to take the lead on reforms, Lula reflected

on the G20 summit hosted in the same locale last November: "In a

short period of time, the international scene has deteriorated

to the point that some of the initiatives we approved then would

no longer be possible now."



In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, the

leaders assembled called attacks against Iran's "civilian

infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities" a "violation of

international law."



The group expressed "grave concern" for the Palestinian

people over Israeli attacks on Gaza, and condemned what the

joint statement called a "terrorist attack" in

India-administered Kashmir.



On trade, the joint statement warned the rise in tariffs

threatens global trade, continuing the group's veiled criticism

of Trump's U.S. tariff policies.



The group voiced its support for Ethiopia and Iran to join

the World Trade Organization, while calling to urgently restore

its ability to resolve trade disputes.



The leaders' joint statement backed plans to pilot a BRICS

Multilateral Guarantees initiative within the group's New

Development Bank to lower financing costs and boost investment

in member states, as first reported by Reuters last week.



In a separate statement following a discussion of artificial

intelligence, the leaders called for protections against

unauthorized use of AI to avoid excessive data collection and

allow mechanisms for fair payment.



Brazil, which also hosts the United Nations climate summit

in November, has seized on both gatherings to highlight how

seriously developing nations are tackling climate change, while

Trump has slammed the brakes on U.S. climate initiatives.



China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest

in a proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, according to

two sources with knowledge of the discussions about funding

conservation of endangered forests around the world.