How BRICS turns its weight against US in its war with Iran
by Grandmasters of Geopolitics [3-16-2026].
The US-Iran war shows how a network of BRICS-aligned powers can challenge American power through scale, economics and asymmetric warfare.
🪖 Cheap drones & missile arsenal
▪️Iran’s most visible weapon has been the Shahed-136 drone with a range of about 1,000 km, a warhead of 40–50 kg, costs roughly $30,000–$50,000.
▪️Thousands of these drones have been launched at US assets and Gulf allies, targeting bases, ports, and energy infrastructure. Intercepting it with a US Patriot missile can cost US up to $4 million.
The US just follows Iran’s clever tactic and burns American expensive air-defence missiles on cheap drones.
Behind the drones is one of the largest missile arsenals in the Middle East, capable of threatening US bases and allies across the region.
▪️Key systems include the Sejjil, a two-stage solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 2,000–2,500 km;
▪️Emad, a guided missile with a range of about 1,700 km;
▪️Khorramshahr and Kheibar, heavy missiles with ranges up to 2,000 km;
▪️shorter-range Zolfaghar and Dezful missiles;
▪️the newer Fattah missile designed to evade missile defence systems.
▪️In the opening phase of the war, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones in a single day, with more than 1,000 missiles and over 2,200 drones used overall.
Thus, cheap drones to exhaust air defences, followed by larger ballistic missiles aimed at harder targets.
🔥 Strait of Hormuz chokepoint
▪️Iran does not need to defeat the US Navy to disrupt global trade. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil.
▪️Even limited disruption can push energy prices sharply higher. Drones, missiles, naval mines, and fast attack craft allow Tehran to threaten shipping through one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
💩 Regional pressure on US forces
▪️Iranian strikes across the Gulf force Washington to defend bases, escort shipping, and intercept incoming drones and missiles across a wide theatre.
▪️Maintaining that shield requires constant sorties, missile launches, and naval patrols, steadily consuming expensive munitions and air-defence stockpiles.
✋ Wider BRICS shielding ecosystem
Iran’s strategy operates within a broader geopolitical framework.
Russia contributes experience from the drone war in Ukraine;
China provides industrial scale and supply chains;
▪️ Other BRICS partners provide markets, energy trade, and diplomatic cover.
❗️None need to fight the United States directly. Their combined capacity allows Iran to sustain pressure.