BRICS Leaders Meeting: Approval for Membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia

Leaders of the "emerging economies" group known as "BRICS" have agreed to the membership of several other countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to Reuters, the leaders of the four BRICS member countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—agreed on Thursday morning, September 2, to invite these six countries to join BRICS and become members of the group starting next year. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, announced this news on his X account (formerly Twitter). BRICS, which was initially known as BRIC, was formed from the first letters of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and its name changed to BRICS with the addition of South Africa. This is the first time since South Africa joined the group in 2010 that BRICS has decided to admit new members. According to the BRICS charter, the group consists of emerging economic powers that distinguish themselves from other countries due to their "rapidly growing and inclusive economies and influential impact on global and regional affairs." Half of the world's population lives in BRICS member countries, and the group claims to hold 28% of the world's economic power. The Islamic Republic has long sought membership in BRICS as part of its anti-Western policy and inclination towards Russia and China in the East. However, Majid Golpour, an international relations expert, previously told Voice of America that due to legal and banking issues, the Islamic Republic will not achieve success in BRICS either. Additionally, Shahin Modarres, an international affairs expert, commented on the Islamic Republic's claims of cooperation with the BRICS group to Voice of America, stating, "BRICS has tried to parallel the G7 and pursue its own development model by establishing the New Development Bank." He rejected the claim made by the Iranian Foreign Minister that partnerships between Iran and some BRICS countries have practically begun, adding, "Global sanctions will not allow Iran to increase its trade exchanges even with BRICS member countries, so Iran's potential acceptance into this group will not only fail to improve BRICS's situation but will also slow its progress." Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, arrived in South Africa on Thursday to participate in the BRICS summit. Vladimir Putin, who is under international criminal prosecution for the Ukraine war, attended the meeting via video link and sent the Russian Foreign Minister in his place to South Africa. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, did not physically attend the meeting and participated via video conference. He is under an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Earlier, the President of South Africa had requested the International Criminal Court not to arrest Putin, as doing so would be tantamount to declaring war. South Africa, which is a member of the International Criminal Court, later announced that South Africa and Russia had agreed on Putin's absence. Majid Golpour: The influence of Iran's economic terrorism is very frightening for Islamic countries in the region. Jamshid Asadi: BRICS is seeking a position in international trade and will lose the largest markets without the dollar. Examination of the Islamic Republic's claims about cooperation with the BRICS group in an interview with Shahin Modarres. The Islamic Republic's efforts to join "BRICS"; experts: there will be no success. BRICS has agreed to expand the membership of this developing bloc.