TEHRAN – Ali Baqeri Kani, the Interim Foreign Minister of Iran has affirmed that BRICS is a pathway towards countering unilateralism as the body holds a clear vision for navigating a transition and reforming global governance through multilateralism, aiming to shape a new, fairer, more transparent, and democratic order.

He made the remarks during his address at the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday.

Baqeri Kani thanked Russia for hosting the summit and expressed gratitude to countries that sent condolences for the recent loss of Iran's president and foreign minister. He highlighted BRICS's role in navigating global transitions towards a fairer and more democratic world order, countering Western unilateralism.

He emphasized the increasing interest of countries in joining BRICS and the need to finalize the criteria for new members by the next summit. Baqeri Kani criticized the global economic infrastructure's dependence on the US dollar, advocating for de-dollarization to protect independent economies.

“Dependence on a single currency for trade and reserves has entrapped many economies in the grip of the dollar. Without swift action, this dependency will further ensnare economies,” Baqeri stated. “No independent and developing country in the world has been unscathed by the dominance of the dollar; hence, the pursuit of de-dollarization in global trade is a shared desire among all independent nations.”

Discussing Iran's experience with sanctions, he underscored the importance of developing independent financial, banking, and monetary systems among BRICS members. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasizing its readiness to offer the model of a resistant economy, declares that the time has come for BRICS and friendly countries to seriously consider a practical model for financial, monetary, and banking independence from unilateral mechanisms,” the interim Foreign Minister added.

Baqeri Kani also condemned the actions in Gaza, calling for an end to occupation and a UN-led referendum for Palestinian self-determination.

“Gaza today stands as the largest exhibition of unilateralism’s achievements,” he commented, referring to the crimes that the Zionist regime has been conducting in the battered enclave including the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent people, the slaughter of children and women, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of defenseless people among many others.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that as long as occupation exists, resistance against occupation is an undeniable reality. Therefore, the only sustainable solution is the immediate and unconditional end of the occupation of all Palestinian territories and the subsequent holding of a referendum with the help of the United Nations among all Palestinians, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, to determine the fate of the Palestinian nation and country,” Baqeri Kani added.

Lastly, he stressed the need for BRICS to lead the transition from unilateralism to a just multilateral order and expressed hope for productive outcomes from the summit.

Baqeri Kani participated in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers from the Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation in Istanbul, focusing on Israel's aggression against Gaza.

The BRICS group is a political-economic coalition focused on coordinating major and complex global economic issues. The first BRICS summit was held in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with the participation of China, Russia, Brazil, and India. South Africa joined the coalition in 2010, changing the group's name from BRIC to BRICS. Over the past fifteen years, BRICS has become an important coalition of rapidly growing economies and a leading force among southern countries in challenging global economic and financial systems.