BRICS Summit Attendees Denounce Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities Even as Partners Look for Trade Deals With America

Leaders from BRICS nations, meeting at Rio de Janeiro for a two-day summit through Monday, issued a condemnation of Israel and America for their pummeling of Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, even as their joint statement avoided calling out America by name while tariff negotiations among individual member countries play out this week.In a final declaration that mimicked an earlier statement issued last month following the strikes, the group of nations called the bombings of nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow a “violation of international law” and a deliberate attack on “civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities.”The organization, founded in 2001 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and later joined by South Africa, did criticize Israel explicitly for its role in decapitating Iran’s nuclear program. It also demanded an immediate ceasefire and “full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and all other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” including the Golan Heights. However, the watered-down statement, one of several carefully worded declarations from the summit, was much milder than host President Lula’s opening speech, during which he “denounced violations of Iran’s territorial integrity.” “Absolutely nothing justifies the terrorist actions perpetrated by Hamas. However, we cannot remain indifferent to the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the use of hunger as a weapon of war,” he said. “The resolution of this conflict will only be possible with the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders,” he added.Mr. Lula, breaking from the pack, also called on Russia and Ukraine to “deepen direct dialogue with a view to a ceasefire and lasting peace” and volunteered China and Brazil “to identify possible paths to end hostilities” in Ukraine. The remarks were separate from the joint declaration, which condemned attacks in Bryansk and Kursk that were blamed on Ukraine. The summit, which labeled itself a meeting to strengthen cooperation for more inclusive and sustainable governance, called for a “commitment to multiculturalism,” however, Mr. Lula directed much of his ire at the United Nations, whose Security Council, he said, continues to ignore several international crises. “The UN turned 80 on June 26th and we are witnessing an unparalleled collapse of multilateralism. … The UN Security Council meetings replay a script whose outcome we all know: loss of credibility and paralysis,” he said.The BRICS nations, meeting for the second time since adding Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran to its ranks in 2024, is walking a fine line this year. As the “Global South” attempts to become an economic counterbalance to American dominance and United Nations’ authority, it faces the wrath of the American president, who is considering potentially devastating 100 percent tariffs on member nations. President Trump has set Wednesday as a deadline for tariff talks, though his chief economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, and Treasury Secretary Bessent both said on Sunday that if trade negotiations are not panning out, they would extend individual deadlines for partner nations. Otherwise, they said, more than 100 nations could see letters from the president announcing that the tariffs — including the 145 percent levy imposed but paused on BRICS member China — will be implemented on August 1.“President Trump’s going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners, saying that, if you don’t move things along, then, on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we’re going to see a lot of deals very quickly,” Mr. Bessent told CNN.“There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline, or maybe they won’t,” Mr. Hassett said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “In the end, the president’s going to make that judgment.”Notably absent from the summit are the leaders of China and Russia. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is reportedly focused on domestic economic issues as tariffs loom. President Putin, who would be subject to arrest due to Brazil’s commitment to follow International Criminal Court rules, addressed the organization by video call. In his remarks, Mr. Putin encouraged movement away from the American dollar as the international currency and called for eliminating America’s unipolar power in exchange for multiple centers of power.“The BRICS countries account for not only a third of the earth’s land area and almost half of the planet’s population, but also 40 percent of the world economy. The combined GDP at purchasing power parity has already reached $77 trillion,” he said, citing IMF data. He noted that the BRICS are outperforming the Group of Seven, which has $57 trillion in purchasing power.Also absent from the meeting were Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Attending in person was India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who have both visited the White House this year. The summit welcomed Indonesia as its newest member.

BRICS Summit Attendees Denounce Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities Even as Partners Look for Trade Deals With America

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