Introduction

The current military standoff between the two nations is quickly turning out to be an

international stress test of energy security, commerce, and crisis negotiation. With the

conflict threatening the vital Straits of Hormuz – which carries about a fifth of all

international oil and liquefied natural gas transportation – it becomes imperative who

could negotiate and resolve the matter at hand. Here, the significance of the BRICS

organization comes into play as a political and not simply economic organization. The

recent addition of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE means that the organization will have

both warring nations within its ambit.

BRICS and Diplomatic Capacity

In the past, BRICS has acted more like an informal consultation platform than a coalition,

which would be more appropriate. The joint declarations of BRICS concerning the period

between 2023 and 2025 stress that mediation, preventive diplomacy, and conflict

resolution are carried out peacefully, following the UN Charter, yet no enforcement

mechanisms and crisis management organizations exist in this regard. It is against this

backdrop that the foreign policy priorities of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

differ significantly. Russia, being a friend of Iran since the time of the Soviet Union, has

always wanted to form a strategic partnership with Iran, while at the same time rejecting

any kind of US military intervention. On the other hand, Brazil and South Africa favored

non-aligned diplomacy, based on the UN Charter.

The expansion of BRICS in 2024 will intensify the importance of the block as well as the

level of contradiction within the organization. The inclusion of such influential players as

Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE who share security interests yet also have contradictory

goals will provide BRICS with greater influence in the Middle East region but will also makeits activities more complex. Iran insists that the group condemns foreign military

intervention and utilizes its power to restrain Western countries in this regard. On the other

hand, the newly included Gulf countries will be concerned about any initiative by the

BRICS bloc which fails to address issues related to Iranian missiles and drones that could

pose a potential threat to Gulf states.

A BRICS‑Based Framework for the Strait of Hormuz

Since the common objective of BRICS countries to ensure navigational freedom in the

Strait of Hormuz, a possible diplomatic solution would be the establishment of a neutral

maritime security regime in the strait, sponsored by BRICS. Such a regime would allow

BRICS to establish a multilateral system whereby the sovereignty of the coastal nations

would be separated from the security of merchant ships navigating through the strait. This

includes establishing a neutral “safe passage corridor,” under the auspices of a rotating

BRICS naval and coast guard command center; legally binding assurances from both Iran

and the Gulf nations that merchant ships will not be attacked unless they fall into a

specific category recognized by the council; and establishing an independent monitoring

organization, possibly including BRICS observers and other technical partners like the

International Maritime Organization.

Such an approach should be premised on the idea that the Strait of Hormuz is not only a

bilateral bottleneck but a major energy thoroughfare. The situation with over a dozen ships

carrying the Indian flag stuck west of the strait due to the latest tensions clearly shows how

pressing this matter is. The fact that China has consistently preferred de-escalation and

has shown its willingness to use diplomacy rather than force suggests that it may agree to

support a politically-oriented security mechanism facilitated by the BRICS countries, as

long as it does not involve any clash between the People’s Republic of China, on one side,

and the United States or Israel, on the other side.

Internal and External Obstacles

Feasibility of such an approach is hampered by internal divisions and external influences.

BRICS will be hindered by internal challenges owing to the lack of an established

diplomatic process, thus making decision-making through consensus difficult. The more

members are added to the organization, the more challenging it will be to agree while

Russia and Iran would prefer a tough stand against the West, Saudi Arabia and United ArabEmirates will certainly demand acknowledgment of their security considerations vis-à-vis

Iran.

From an external perspective, BRICS has to deal with the presence of United States’

hegemonic influence in the region and security considerations of Israel. For one thing,

the US has been treating the Persian Gulf region as one of its most important strategic

areas and continues to be the main sponsor of maritime security operations in the

region in the context of the Gulf. US sanctions on Iran, coupled with the Western

sanction’s regime against Iran, provide another complicating factor as far as

negotiations go since BRICS countries will have to consider their interests in the context

of these sanctions while undermining the US-led diplomacy in the area. As for the

security considerations of Israel, its security concerns relating to missile and drone

capabilities of Iran, as well as Iranian proxies in the region, made it reluctant to accept

any negotiation process that did not include explicit conditions placed on Iran’s

conduct.

BRICS as a Test of Future Power

The crisis associated with Iran, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, serves as a litmus test

for the potential of the BRICS grouping. Failure by BRICS to coordinate a minimal

amount of diplomacy in dealing with the situation will mean that it will only be able to

play the role of an economic bloc without taking any significant steps towards becoming

a geopolitical force. Even though India and China both advocate stability, their actions

have been taken independently through their own nations’ foreign policy rather than as

part of a BRICS initiative.

Keyword research

• BRICS diplomacy, Iran conflict, Strait of Hormuz security, energy security, crisis

diplomacy, maritime trade, geopolitical stability.

REFERENCES

Reuters (2026); BRICS Joint Declarations (2023–2025); International Maritime Organization

reports; United Nations Charter; recent Gulf maritime security coverage