Mohammad Fathali, the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi, has said that Tehran expects the Brics grouping of nations to “condemn unlawful and criminal actions by the United States and the Zionist regime” amid the war, in a reference to Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

India is the current chair of Brics, a group that Iran joined at the start of 2024. The grouping also includes Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, and is widely seen as a bloc representing the interests of the Global South.

Fathali’s comments came in an interview with Indian news agency ANI.

However, the Brics coalition has so far been silent on the war on Iran. China and Russia have been supportive of Iran’s position and have been deeply critical of the US and Israel.

On the other hand the UAE has been opposed to Iran’s attacks on Gulf states: Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been hit particularly badly.

Many other Brics nations, including India and Egypt, have tried to balance relations with the US and Iran. India is also a close partner of Israel.