Iran becomes full member of BRICS group

Iran has officially become a member of the BRICS group of emerging economies, whose leaders are in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss the bloc’s expansion.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that the BRICS member states agreed to admit Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia as full members.

Reacting to the news, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said Iran’s full 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.

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

“BRICS has managed to bring together independent countries with the common goal of [bolstering] economic cooperation and countering unilateralism,” he said before his departure on Wednesday evening.

MG