Iranian Foreign Minister urges BRICS unity against "US bullying"

Addressing the gathering, Araghchi said many countries present were familiar with "slight variations of the same repugnant coercion". He urged BRICS nations to respond collectively and more assertively.

"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. 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 said.

"Today, our nations are closer to one another than ever before, and we cannot ignore the common and dangerous challenge we all face. 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", the Iranian Foreign Minister added.

Araghchi's comments come as several key global partners are gathered here in New Delhi to participate in the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meet.

In a significant push to bolster regional stability and multilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday.

The high-level interaction took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, marking a pivotal moment in the bilateral trajectory between the two civilisational partners.

Highlighting the engagement, the official handle of the Iranian Embassy in India took to X to share the diplomatic milestone, "H.E. Dr. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, met with His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India."

As New Delhi chairs the two-day ministerial gathering on May 14 and 15, the presence of these key figures underscores the ascending strategic weight of the BRICS forum as a critical platform for mediation amidst the volatile situation in West Asia. (ANI)