Saudi Arabia plans Gulf reconciliation summit with Iran: Did Delhi Brics security meet play a role?

Amid ongoing political realignments stemming from the West Asian conflict, Saudi Arabia is planning to host a reconciliation summit between Arab states and Iran. Its timing —coming soon after the Brics nations' NSA meeting in New Delhi— has raised questions about whether India played a role in the process.

AFP reported a diplomat as saying that Saudi Arabia will soon host a summit aimed at mending ties between Arab nations, Iran, and possibly other regional neighbours in the aftermath of the West Asian conflict.

The summit would be independent of the ongoing Pakistan-mediated US-Iran talks.

The development comes days after the national security advisers (NSAs) of Brics nations gathered in Delhi for a meeting. India is currently chairing Brics.

At the Brics NSA meeting, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashed, with Iran accusing the Emirates of facilitating American attacks and the Emiratis alleging that Iran attacked them throughout the war despite their not being a party to the conflict.

More from World

Did the Brics NSA meeting play a role?

On the sidelines of the meeting, Ghadir Nezamipour, who represented Iran at the gathering, held talks with NSA Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the specifics of Nezamipour's meetings are not yet known —he serves as Iran's Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs at the Supreme National Security Council— the meetings appear to have provided a venue for both sides to find a forum for communication beyond channels maintained by Pakistan or Qatar where the United States continues to have a significant presence.

India has pitched Brics as a non-Western multilateral group focused on advancing common economic interests and exploring political cooperation. In recent years, Brics has expanded from its original membership —Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia.

"Brics was conceived as an informal grouping of emerging economies for a more multipolar world order. It was intended to advance economic cooperation and strengthen the voice of the Global South. It also envisioned reforms in global governance and institutional improvements. Brics is a very special coalition of countries that believe in peace, progress, development and cooperation. I'm happy to see that it is gaining strength day by day," Doval said at the NSAs' meeting.

As is the case with India and Pakistan, as well as other countries with strained ties, such forums and international conferences often serve as backchannels.