Deputy foreign ministers and special envoys from BRICS countries on Friday voiced “deep concern” over the escalating situation in West Asia, calling for sustained humanitarian assistance, respect for international mechanisms, and renewed political efforts to stabilise the region.Meeting in New Delhi, the grouping held wide-ranging consultations on developments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a sharp focus on the crisis in Gaza and the broader Palestine issue.According to the Chair’s Statement, participants underscored the urgent need for humanitarian aid and highlighted the role of UNRWA in addressing the crisis. They also reiterated a “zero-tolerance approach to terrorism” while stressing the importance of safeguarding UN peacekeeping operations, terming attacks on UNIFIL as unacceptable.The envoys welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon and discussed pathways for post-conflict reconstruction in Syria, alongside the need for a political settlement in Yemen. Stability and development in Iraq, revival of the political process in Libya, and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan also figured prominently in the deliberations.The meeting reflected a coordinated attempt by BRICS nations to articulate a collective position on multiple, overlapping crises in the region, even as global diplomatic efforts remain fragmented.Officials said the consultations aimed to align perspectives among major emerging economies on conflict resolution, humanitarian response, and long-term regional stability.The envoys agreed to continue their engagement and will reconvene under China’s chairship in 2027, signalling an ongoing BRICS role in shaping discourse on West Asian geopolitics.Since the West Asia conflict began on February 28, attention has increasingly turned to the role of BRICS, with Tehran multiple times urging New Delhi—the bloc’s current chair—to mobilise the forum as a diplomatic counterweight to Western influence.Tehran has called on India to activate BRICS to condemn what it calls “military aggression” by the US and Israel, and to press for a coordinated response from emerging economies. The issue has figured in multiple conversations between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as well as between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Iran’s push reflected a broader strategy to leverage BRICS—which recently expanded to include Tehran—as a geopolitical platform representing the Global South. Iranian officials believe a collective BRICS response could challenge Western narratives and strengthen diplomatic pressure on them.The West Asia crisis has also highlighted the evolving yet uncertain role of BRICS in global security affairs. Originally conceived as an economic grouping, the bloc has increasingly projected itself as a platform advocating a more multipolar international order.However, divergent strategic interests among members—ranging from close partnerships with Western powers to strongly anti-Western positions—have complicated efforts to articulate a common response.For India, the challenge is twofold: preserving strategic autonomy in a volatile region while using its BRICS presidency to project the grouping as a credible voice for the Global South.