National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, addressing counterparts from BRICS member states at a key gathering in New Delhi on Tuesday, hailed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a highly positive step that is expected to significantly bolster global energy security.
Doval emphasized that ensuring unrestricted navigation through this critical maritime corridor would yield substantial benefits for both regional nations and the wider international community. He specifically welcomed the recent Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, noting that India is approaching the development with “cautious optimism” and trusts that the agreement will prove effective in enhancing energy stability. He further pointed out that the resumption of traffic through the strait is a greatly beneficial move that will ease supply chain disruptions and alleviate shortages impacting key sectors such as fertilizers and chemicals.
During his address, Doval also touched upon the prevailing geopolitical tensions across different regions and their cascading effects on nations worldwide. He characterized the current global atmosphere as highly turbulent, citing a confluence of geopolitical unpredictability, mounting economic pressures, and the rise of disruptive technologies. He warned that challenges are not only multiplying but that existing global instruments and institutional frameworks are proving increasingly inadequate in resolving or de-escalating these conflicts.
Asserting that multilateralism is witnessing a decline, Doval stressed that BRICS has a pivotal responsibility in confronting these diverse challenges. He recalled that the bloc was originally conceived as an informal coalition of emerging economies aimed at fostering a more multipolar global order. Its foundational goals include advancing economic collaboration and amplifying the voice of the Global South, alongside championing much-needed reforms in global governance and institutional structures. He reiterated that BRICS stands as a distinctive alliance of nations united by a shared commitment to peace, progress, development, and mutual cooperation.
India is currently hosting this conclave in its role as the rotating chair of the influential group. BRICS, whose founding members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, underwent an expansion in 2024 with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was followed by Indonesia joining the fold in 2025. The grouping has solidified its status as a major global force, now bringing together 11 major emerging economies that collectively account for approximately 49.5% of the world’s population, about 40% of global GDP, and roughly 26% of international trade.
