BRICS leaders slam Trump tariffs & unilateral sanctions, US President promises additional tariffs

The BRICS Leaders’ Statement sees a number of shifting positions in Indian foreign policy. New Delhi agrees with the grouping that the strikes on Iran violated international law.

Leaders of the BRICS grouping at the Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | X/@narendramodi

New Delhi: From condemning “unilateral” sanctions to slamming tariffs, condemning the use of “starvation” as a method of warfare as well as calling the airstrikes on Iran as a “violation of international law”, the BRICS leaders’ statement, which India is a part of, has taken aim at a number of ongoing challenges.

Subsequently, US President Donald Trump snapped back at the statement, promising additional tariffs of 10 percent on “any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American” policies of the grouping.

“We condemn the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law, and reiterate that such measures, inter alia in the form of unilateral economic sanctions and secondary sanctions, have far-reaching negative implications for the human rights, including the rights to development, health and food security, of the general population of targeted states, disproportionally affecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations, deepening the digital divide and exacerbating environmental challenges,” the BRICS Leaders’ Statement said, in a clear reference to the sanctions against Russia imposed by the Western nations.

“We call for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. We reaffirm that BRICS member states do not impose or support non-UN Security Council authorized sanctions that are contrary to international law,” said the statement published Sunday.

The Leaders’ Statement was published on the first day of the BRICS summit, hosted in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It is the first summit with Indonesia as a member of the grouping, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran and the UAE.

The statement, which has found support from all 10 member-states, has commented on a number of current international issues, including the ongoing situation in West Asia, conflicts across the world, as well as economic matters.

The condemnation of the use of sanctions comes as both Russia and Iran–members of BRICS–are two of the most sanctioned countries in the world. The Western powers, particularly, the US and the European Union (EU), have imposed a number of sanctions on Moscow, following Russia’s full-scale war with Ukraine. While the West has focused on reducing its dependence on Russian crude, India has become one of the largest buyers of energy from Moscow.

In the 2024-2025 financial year, India purchased roughly $56 billion worth of Russian energy, despite the prevailing Western sanctions on Moscow. New Delhi has maintained strong economic links with Russia, despite pressure from the US and the EU to cut off Moscow’s economy due to the war with Ukraine.

Similarly China’s own trade with Russia has grown since 2022. Iran, which faced a number of UN sanctions, saw the economic curbs lifted after it signed onto the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the permanent five members of the UN Security Council along with the EU. However, in 2018, the US decided to walk out of the deal and unilaterally imposed a number of sanctions on Iran.

Most recently, the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites–Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan–joining Israel in the 12-day conflict in West Asia that began 13 June. While India maintained that it was “deeply concerned” by the situation, it did not outright condemn either Israel or the US for its strikes on Iran. New Delhi distanced itself from a statement made by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) condemning the strikes. However, it signed onto the BRICS statement on the situation in West Asia, and accepted the strong language in the Leaders’ Statement.

“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East,” the statement said.

“We further express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA. Nuclear safeguards, safety, and security must always be upheld, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment from harm.”

BRICS takes aim at Israel, condemns Pahalgam terrorist attack

Another area where the BRICS Leaders’ Statement took strong exception to is the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip. The roughly 20-month war between Israel and Hamas, has seen India defend Tel Aviv’s right to self-defence, while maintaining its support for a two-state solution.

However, it has rarely commented on the humanitarian situation outside of sharing its deep concern. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had highlighted the situation in Gaza during his address to the summit.

“We reiterate our grave concern about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with the resumption of continuous Israeli attacks against Gaza and obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory. We call for adherence to international law, in particular to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and condemn all violations of IHL, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare. We also condemn attempts to politicize or militarize humanitarian assistance,” said the Leaders’ Statement.

Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for roughly 11 weeks earlier this year, before attempting to set up its own humanitarian assistance programme through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The attempt to reroute aid through the GHF comes after Tel Aviv has asserted that the existing UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was supporting Hamas, the group which carried out the 7 October 2023 attacks.

While Hamas’ attacks left over 1,150 Israelis dead and a further 250 captured, Tel Aviv’s retaliation has killed roughly 56,000 Palestinians according to latest reports. South Africa, one of the founding members of the BRICS, has taken the issue to the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

The BRICS leaders’ have called for an “unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza, which is a change in India’s position, as it has in the past voted against UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire for various reasons, including the lack of language for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The 10-member grouping also condemned in “strongest terms” the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead on 22 April. The attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir, led to an 87-hour conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad. India has taken a number of punitive diplomatic measures against Pakistan, linking the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad. On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist complexes in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur and Muridke.

The grouping also voiced “serious concerns” over the unilateral tariffs imposed by the US in April, as a part of President Donald Trump’s attempt to reduce trade deficits in America. Trump and his administration have taken exception to BRICS, with the US President threatening to impose high tariffs on BRICS member-states if they attempt to “de-dollarise”. However, the April tariffs, which have since been paused, saw some of the highest duties imposed on BRICS member-states, including China.

(Edited by Tony Rai)