Moscow: Iran a top priority on BRICS political agenda

Pars Today — A Russian deputy foreign minister said ahead of the BRICS summit in India that U.S. escalation against Iran and the situation in the Persian Gulf are the most urgent political issues on the BRICS agenda.

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB, Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with the TASS news agency ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi that the situation in Iran and, more broadly, the situation in the Persian Gulf are the most urgent political issues for BRICS members.

He added that the issue would likely receive considerable attention during talks among the leaders and while drafting the final document, adding that he could not currently predict what the outcome would be.

The 18th BRICS summit will be held in India on September 12 and 13, with India serving as host. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are the founding members of BRICS, while Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran have also joined the group.

BRICS also has nine partner countries with associate status, including Bolivia, Cuba, Belarus, Malaysia, Nigeria and Kazakhstan.