World capitals at 100 days of the Iran war: EU self-reflection, BRICS divergence

Al Jazeera's roundup says that within the European Union, Hungary and Slovakia are keeping an indirect diplomatic channel open with Iran; Germany, the Netherlands and Czechia hold public lines that back Israel's operational responses; while France is developing what it calls a "limited supported deterrence" thesis. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs began 14-party consultations with member-state ambassadors last week to discuss a "termination framework not designed by the US and Israel."

Inside the BRICS+ bloc, China and Brazil have aligned on calling for an end to the violence and for respect of Iran's sovereignty, while India has kept a quieter line, weighed down by Mumbai refinery margins and Indo-Pacific supply-chain balance. Russia repeated its call for a formal UN Security Council formation; South Africa and Iran floated a joint security architecture at BRICS+ level. The push for a joint declaration continues at tomorrow's special BRICS+ foreign-ministers session.

On the global energy side, the IEA reported that 18 countries coordinated emergency-reserve drawdowns over the past three months; Japan, South Korea and Singapore announced a 41-million-barrel joint use in Asia to smooth circulation. A UN Security Council resolution vote is due next week; Russia and China are expected to be able to veto a US-tabled draft, while continuing to label their alternative a "constructive comprehensive draft."