'False Sense of Entitlement Must Be Shattered': Iran FM Araghchi slams US, Israel at BRICS meet; greets PM Modi with handshake in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, marking India's first major high-level diplomatic engagement since the Iran war began amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

India is hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting on May 14 and 15, 2026, bringing together senior ministers from member nations to discuss regional security, global tensions and economic cooperation. Prime Minister Modi also held interactions with other BRICS foreign ministers attending the summit.

During the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sharply criticised what he described as American pressure and coercion, saying Iran's resistance against "US bullying" was a struggle familiar to many countries present at the gathering.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says, "These crimes and the Western silence they are met with, can only take place if there is a sense of impunity. That false sense of entitlement must be shattered by all of us. Iran, therefore, calls upon BRICS member states and all responsible members of the international community to explicitly condemn violations of international law by the United States and Israel, including their illegal aggression against Iran, a member of BRICS, prevent the politicisation of international institutions and take concrete action to halt warmongering and to bring an end to the impunity of those who violate the UN Charter.*
"To virtually everyone in this room, our resistance against US bullying is not an unfamiliar battle. So many of us encounter slight variations of the same repugnant coercion," Araghchi said.

Calling for greater unity among BRICS nations, Araghchi said member countries were now closer to one another than ever before and urged them to collectively oppose such practices.

"It is high time for us to jointly step up and work towards making clear that those practices belong in the dustbin of history," he added.

The Iranian minister also warned about the dangers of growing instability in the region, saying countries pursuing "reckless adventures" may believe such actions serve their geopolitical interests, but ultimately instability harms all sides involved.

"Those who pursue reckless adventures may believe it furthers their geopolitical interests. But as consumers and governments around the world now sense and understand, regional instability is a lose-lose proposition for all sides, including the aggressors," Araghchi said.

In another pointed remark, he said history had shown that declining powers often resort to desperate measures to maintain their influence.

"History has shown that empires in decline will stop at nothing to arrest their inevitable fates. A wounded animal will desperately claw and roar on its way down," he stated.

The meetings in New Delhi come at a time of heightened tensions in West Asia following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. The presence of Araghchi and Lavrov at the BRICS gathering underlines the forum's growing diplomatic significance amid the ongoing crisis.