Just Another BRICS in the Wall: Iran’s Strategic Recalibration

BRICS in the Bloc

July 8, 2025

Executive Summary

In the aftermath of coordinated Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure in June 2025, Tehran is pursuing a comprehensive response strategy combining ideological defiance, nuclear reassertion, and strategic diplomacy. At the heart of this approach, so far, was Iran's high-profile engagement at the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where it successfully rallied support from the Global South and framed the attacks as violations of international law.

A central component of Iran's post-strike diplomacy involved managing its complex relationship with Russia. While Moscow condemned the attacks and reiterated support for Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy—proposing international storage of enriched uranium—Iran expressed dissatisfaction with Russia's limited support during the "12 Days War. Despite these tensions, the two "sanctioned" sides maintain a strategically aligned partnership aimed at counterbalancing U.S. hegemony in the region.

Tehran also emphasized economic resilience by deepening trade ties and infrastructure cooperation with Russia, China, and other BRICS members. It continues to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs under the banner of national sovereignty, framing them as essential to Iran's deterrent posture and long-term security.

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Following the Israeli strikes starting June 13, 2025, and U.S. airstrikes on June 21–22, 2025, targeting Iran's nuclear facilities (Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan), Iran is pursuing a comprehensive approach that blends defiance, diplomatic engagement, and vows to renew its nuclear program. The attacks, which aimed to cripple Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles capabilities, prompted Iran to recalibrate its approach amid a ceasefire announced on June 23.

Diplomatic Outreach at the 2025 BRICS Summit

At the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6–7, 2025, Iran leveraged the platform to garner diplomatic support. The Tehran Times report highlights Iran's strategic utilization of the 2025 BRICS Summit to advance its diplomatic agenda and counter "Western aggression." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's engagements at the summit highlight a deliberate pivot toward Global South solidarity, legal defiance of Western unilateralism, and a commitment to preserving Iran's nuclear program as a symbol of sovereignty and deterrence.

The BRICS Summit, themed "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance," provided Iran a platform to rally support against the U.S. and Israel. The bloc's final statement, as reported by the Tehran Times (July 8 ), unequivocally condemned the strikes as violations of international law, the UN Charter, IAEA Resolution 533, and UN Security Council Resolution 487. It emphasized the importance of nuclear safeguards and called for UN Security Council intervention, thereby challenging the U.S.'s veto power. Araghchi hailed this as a "strategic victory," framing BRICS as a counterweight to Western hegemony and a harbinger of a "new global order."

Araghchi's summit address dismantled the legal basis for the strikes, arguing that targeting IAEA-safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities based on speculative future threats violates international law. He accused Israel and the U.S. of "war crimes and crimes against humanity".

The Iranian FM rejected the two-state solution for Palestine, proposing a single democratic state via referendum.

Iran advocates a so-called "democratic solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a single state, from the river to the sea, governed by a referendum limited to Palestinians—both residents and refugees—and to Jews who lived in Palestine before 1948. This deliberately excludes the vast majority of Israeli Jews, especially those who emigrated from Europe, the former Soviet Union, or the U.S. after Israel's founding. Iranian leaders explicitly call on these post-1948 Jewish immigrants to "return to their countries of origin," effectively erasing their national identity and severing their connection to the land. Under the banner of justice, this plan aims to dismantle Israel's Jewish character through demographic, legal, and ideological means.

On July 6, 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a bilateral meeting with Araghchi, reaffirming Moscow's commitment to mediating the resolution of the nuclear issue. Lavrov reiterated Russia's proposal to store Iran's enriched uranium in secure facilities under international oversight, a measure intended to address Western concerns about potential misuse while preserving Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy. However, Iranian officials expressed dissatisfaction with Russia's level of support during the "12 Days War". Iran had sought more robust military or diplomatic backing to counter the attacks. Notwithstanding this friction, Russia's vocal condemnation of the strikes at the BRICS Summit and Lavrov's engagement with Araghchi signaled a continued strategic partnership, driven by shared interests in countering U.S. hegemony.

Iranian disappointment

 Araghchi's meetings with leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey, China and Thailand, alongside BRICS newcomers (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia), aimed to solidify Iran's position within a bloc representing nearly half the world's population and 25% of global GDP. His discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar focused on regional strategy, reinforcing Iran's alignment with non-Western powers. The meeting with Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, an anti-Zionist Jewish provocateur, added a symbolic layer of diverse international support, distancing Iran's critique from anti-Semitism and targeting Zionism specifically.

Araghchi and Yisroel Dovid

Iran has been actively working to circumvent Western sanctions through strategic economic partnerships at both global and regional levels. By enhancing trade routes, joining multilateral organizations such as BRICS, and engaging in infrastructure projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Iran aims to bolster its economic resilience. These efforts include strengthening ties with China and Russia, launching new trade corridors, and leveraging its strategic location to become a pivotal transit hub. These initiatives seek to mitigate the impact of sanctions and integrate Iran more deeply into the global economy, ensuring sustained economic growth and stability.

Iran's nuclear ambitions, as articulated post-attacks, reflect a determination to preserve and advance its capabilities despite setbacks. The strikes may have damaged key atomic infrastructure, but Iranian officials downplayed the extent, claiming enriched uranium stockpiles were safely relocated and no radiation leaks occurred.

Post-attack strategy centers on diplomatic coalition-building with BRICS and Russia, rejecting Western talks under duress, and rebuilding its nuclear and ballistic missiles program to assert sovereignty and deterrence. Its goals include restoring enrichment capabilities, securing sanctions relief through diplomacy, and maintaining a threshold nuclear posture for strategic leverage.