Iran named the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Two officials in two channels, naming the same blocker.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told a select group of reporters at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi that "a neighbouring country that is also a member of the BRICS" was thwarting a joint statement at the foreign ministers' meeting by trying to introduce language condemning Iran's military strategy against US and Israeli attacks. [1] Gharibabadi avoided the name. Business Standard and The Hindu identified the country. [2]

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi did not avoid the name. His X post earlier the same day said: "Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran's security services long ago conveyed to our leadership. Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable. Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account." [3] The Hindu attributed the post to Araghchi and traced it to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office disclosing a secret April visit to Abu Dhabi during the war. The UAE host of that visit is what Araghchi was naming.

This is the diplomatic geometry inside BRICS this week. The bloc has eleven members. Three are directly affected by the war: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Two host US military assets. India is the chair. Russia is silent. China sent its ambassador rather than its foreign minister. India in April issued only a Chair's summary noting "deep concern" because consensus eluded the bloc. The summary did not name a blocker. On Thursday, Iran did.

The Iranian frame is that Abu Dhabi is acting as a proxy for Israeli policy inside the BRICS room, and that the blockage of a joint Iran statement is the operational evidence. By publicly attributing the failure of consensus to one BRICS member, Tehran insulates the bloc and locates the cost in a bilateral relationship.

Whether Friday's communique lands remains open. The chairmanship is India's; drafting was done without Wang Yi's signature. The Iranian frame is now on the record: if there is no statement, it is the UAE's fault. The naming is the brief.

-- PRIYA SHARMA, Delhi