U.S. tariff threat puts India-Iran ties, BRICS plans under strain

India’s ties with Iran have come under renewed pressure after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (January 13, 2026) that “any country” having trade ties with Iran would face a 25% tariff if it sought to do business with the United States. Government sources told The Hindu that India is preparing to bring down its trade with Iran further in the current financial year, citing “external economic factors”. The developments have come even as India still last weekend, was getting ready to host Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian for the upcoming BRICS summit, which India will host this year as it marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of India-Iran diplomatic ties. The U.S. policy on increasing pressure on Iran has also put a question mark on the expected visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi to New Delhi later this month. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced India’s vision for BRICS 2026 on Tuesday, saying that as BRICS Chair, India will highlight that the intergovernmental organisation is capable of absorbing “global shocks”. India’s policy on Iran will be keenly watched as the Islamic Republic is a member of BRICS of which India has been a founding member. Mr. Jaishankar spoke at an event to launch the logo of the upcoming BRICS summit that was attended by several envoys of BRICS member states, including Russian ambassador Denis Alipov and Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali. In the evening, Mr. Jaishankar announced that he had a telephonic conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and informed that the conversation covered “trade, critical minerals, nuclear cooperation, defence and energy.” Against the backdrop of fast-paced moves, India’s policy on Iran will be keenly watched as the Islamic Republic is a member of BRICS, of which India has been a founding member. At both bilateral and multilateral levels, the India-Iran relation was expected to see multiple high points this year as India was getting ready to broaden its presence in Iran’s Chabahar port, which is of crucial importance for both India’s connectivity plans with Central Asia and Russia as well as for its newly unfolding partnership with the anti-Pakistan Taliban administration in Afghanistan. Iran joined BRICS as a full member on January 1, 2024, as the grouping expanded by including Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates at the 2023 summit in South Africa. Officials informed that as a member of the BRICS, Iran’s President may not face legal hurdles while travelling to India for the summit. However, they indicated that Iran’s escalating confrontation with the U.S. President has pushed the country into crisis for at least one month. An official with knowledge of India’s assessment of the situation said that the ongoing public protests in Iran- which are being supported by President Trump- pose a serious threat to the current regime in Tehran. The official added India’s embassy is in contact with the Indian citizens in the Islamic Republic, where authorities have blacked out Internet connectivity. The welfare of Indians in Iran...

Preview: ~500 words