BRICS invites Iran, five other countries to join bloc as new members

The BRICS group of nations has decided to invite six countries, including Iran, to become new members of the bloc, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

The debate over expanding the BRICS bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has topped the agenda at a three-day summit in Johannesburg ending on Thursday.

The other countries invited to join the bloc are Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Reacting to the news, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said Iran’s membership in BRICS is a “historic development” and a “strategic success” for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic.

“Felicitations to the Leader of Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] and the great nation of Iran,” Jamshidi said via X, formerly Twitter.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the expansion of BRICS will inject new impetus to the group’s cooperation mechanism.

This expansion has reflected BRICS’ determination for unity and cooperation, Xi said at the summit.

The group was formed by and initially consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which collectively represent around 40% of the global population and a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Iran was among dozens of countries that sought membership in BRICS and had submitted a formal application to join the body.

Iranian President Raisi arrived in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, on Thursday morning to attend a summit of the BRICS countries.

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