Iran’s Inclusion in BRICS Backfired and Reinforced Its Anti-Western Image, Analyst Says

Source: O Estado de S. Paulo, | Original Published At: 2026-03-08 20:41:56 UTC

Key Points

• The analyst says the current conflict is likely to demobilize BRICS in the short term.
• A planned inaugural BRICS Academic Forum event in New Delhi on March 8 was canceled, indicating immediate disruption to dialogue spaces.
• India is described as central but ambivalent, balancing ties with Israel and the United States while remaining active in Global South coalitions such as BRICS.
• Brazil is presented as favoring multilateral conflict resolution through the UN and advocating UN Security Council reform.
• The article argues BRICS is not a military alliance and that China and Russia tend to avoid direct military engagement outside core security zones.
• According to the interview, Iran’s admission had mixed outcomes and may have strengthened external perceptions of BRICS as anti-Western.
• The interview also notes that BRICS expansion, including Iran and Indonesia, supports claims of wider demographic representation but contains political contradictions.