India, March 22 -- Iran has urged the BRICS grouping to step in and play an "independent role" in halting the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel, placing fresh pressure on the bloc's global relevance, media reports said.

During a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly called for immediate intervention, stressing that hostilities must cease for diplomacy to resume.

He framed BRICS as a potential counterbalance to western influence and said the bloc must act decisively to stop what he described as aggression by the US and Israel.

At the same time, he accused the US and Israel of triggering the conflict through strikes carried out during sensitive nuclear ne...