NEW DELHI, 10 September, 2026 (Nosheen): India will host the BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12-13 in New Delhi, seeking to strengthen the bloc’s global profile as the U.S.-led war on Iran tests unity among its members, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates on opposing sides of the conflict. The summit comes more than six months after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, which joined BRICS in 2024. The conflict has virtually shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil-trade route, pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel. The UAE, after being targeted by Iranian missiles since the war began, suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran in August. Foreign policy experts said a key challenge for BRICS would be finding language on the Middle East crisis acceptable to both Tehran and Abu Dhabi, allowing members to agree on a joint declaration. Although such a statement is unlikely to alter the current geopolitical situation, experts said it could demonstrate that emerging economies can remain united against economically damaging policies such as Western sanctions. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit in his first visit to India in seven years, highlighting Beijing’s importance to BRICS and placing China alongside host India at the centre of efforts to maintain unity within the expanded bloc. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are also expected to attend, along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The UAE is expected to be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.