‘Hope it will work’: Ajit Doval backs US-Iran deal with ‘cautious optimism’

3 min readNew DelhiJun 23, 2026 01:00 PM IST

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ghadir Nezamipour, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting. (@MEAIndia/X via PTI Photo)

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Tuesday that India welcomes the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran with “cautious optimism” and is hopeful it will help energy security.

Speaking at the 16th BRICS NSAs’ meeting in New Delhi, Doval said, “India welcomes the MoU reached between the US and Iran. We have got cautious optimism, and we hope that it will work. It will help energy security. The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a very welcome development.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and Iran’s Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ghadir Nezamipour were among the BRICS countries’ representatives who attended the meeting.

Doval described the BRICS as a “very special coalition”, adding that its member and partner economies have “a very special role to play in the world”.

“We are meeting at a very tumultuous time. The world is beleaguered by military conflicts and complex security problems. It is facing geopolitical uncertainties, economic strains, and disruptive technology,” he added.

“Not only that the threats are compounding, but the instruments and institutional mechanisms are increasingly finding themselves to be inadequate to resolve or mitigate these conflicts. Multilateralism is on the decline,” Doval said.

Underscoring the evolving role of BRICS in global governance, Doval said that it was originally conceived to provide a platform for emerging economies to foster economic cooperation and strengthen the voice of the Global South.

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“It also envisioned reforms in global governance and institutional improvements. BRICS is a very special coalition of countries that believe in peace, progress, development, and cooperation. I’m happy to see that it is gaining strength day by day,” he added.

Highlighting the responsibilities of the bloc amid current international challenges, Doval said, “We are here from different continents, from different areas, and it’s a grouping where we bring with us very diverse experiences. We have got a very special role to play in this world, which appears to be in turmoil, a world which appears to be changing, a world in which the instruments of conflict resolution are probably getting blunted. What role we as a grouping can play is a matter that is important for us to ponder.”

Non-traditional threats take centre stage

Tuesday is the second day of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ Meeting being hosted by India. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), NSAs and heads of delegation from BRICS member countries will exchange views on the theme ‘Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today’.

The discussions are expected to include a review of the outcomes of the recently held BRICS Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism and on Security in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies. The grouping brings together 11 emerging economies, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE.

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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