Tehran: In a flurry of diplomatic engagement, Iran has positioned itself not just as a new member but as a proactive agenda-setter, championing two key pillars of BRICS’s ambitions: sustainable development and financial independence.
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, this dual push-from proposing an innovative green innovation fund to finance climate projects in the developing world to vehemently advocating for de-dollarization-signals Tehran’s strategy to become a central player in shaping the BRICS alternative to Western-dominated global systems. The BRICS members originally included Brazil, Russia, India, and China, established in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, creating the five-nation core known for many years.
Six new nations officially became BRICS members during the recent expansion wave. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined on January 1, 2024, followed by Indonesia in January 2025. Saudi Arabia completed its membership in July 2025, bringing the total BRICS members to eleven full participants.
The alliance has also incorporated ‘partner countries,’ including Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. To take a quick look during Administration Week at significant steps taken by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration over the past year, making a flashback is of importance.
President Pezeshkian was inaugurated on July 30, 2024, commencing his four-year term as Iran’s executive chief in a ceremony attended by delegations from 88 countries and senior Iranian officials. Ever since Pezeshkian began his mission, his administration has taken various steps to cement ties with the BRICS member states. To reinforce relations with the member states of the bloc, senior Iranian officials have either made official visits to those countries or held talks with their leaders on the sidelines of the high-level meetings.
Similarly, the remarks made by senior officials of the Islamic Republic address objectives set by BRICS. For instance, on January 30, 2025, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, highlighted BRICS’s growing global influence, noting that the group’s expansion in 2024 marked a turning point. He attributed this influence to the ineffectiveness of the current international power structure in addressing global issues.
Jalali emphasized de-dollarization as a key BRICS objective and predicted a significant decrease in the US dollar’s share of central bank reserves by 2030 (from 58% to 35-40%). He also stated that projections for 2030 indicate BRICS nations will account for 48% of global GDP, surpassing a third of global GDP, with exports accounting for about a quarter of global exports, as the G7’s economic indicators decline.
The New Development Bank (NDB) is positioned to become an alternative to the World Bank and Western development mechanisms.