Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China’s Premier Li Qiang, India’s Prime Minister Narendra  Modi, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other leaders attend the opening meeting of BRICS Summit, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

BRICS member countries voiced strong support for Iran during their annual summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, condemning Israel and the United States for attacks on Tehran’s nuclear program and military infrastructure amid last month’s 12-day war.

The BRICS group is a bloc of emerging economies — originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — that positions itself as an alternative to institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Iran became a member of the group in 2024, joining six new members, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025,” leaders from the BRICS nations said in a joint statement released Sunday.

“We further express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities,” the statement read.

According to the 11-nation coalition, the recent military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities “constitute a violation of international law.”

This latest move by the BRICS coalition not only provides Tehran with rare international support after the 12-day Israel-Iran war, but also signals a unified front against Western ideology and US influence.

In a social media post, US President Donald Trump warned that countries aligning with BRICS policies opposing US interests would face additional tariffs.

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump warned in a post on Truth Social. “There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

In response, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who hosted the summit, condemned Trump’s comments as reckless.

“We don’t want an emperor, we are sovereign countries,” Lula said during his closing remarks on Monday. “It’s not right for a president of a country the size of the United States to threaten the world online.”

Last month, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and neutralizing what officials described as an imminent nuclear threat.

Israel’s campaign of airstrikes and covert sabotage from within Iran came on the 61st day of a 60-day deadline set by Trump for Tehran to secure a deal through diplomacy to curb the country’s nuclear activities.

After five rounds of negotiations with Washington, a potential agreement fell through when Iran announced it would continue its uranium enrichment and expand its nuclear program. Since then, the Islamist regime has faced mounting pressure to return to the negotiating table.

The US joined Israel’s airstrike campaign against Tehran by launching a large-scale military operation that destroyed three key nuclear enrichment facilities, including the heavily fortified Fordow site, ultimately leading to a US-brokered ceasefire.