Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that BRICS must create an environment that prevents any country from obstructing the legitimate trade of others, saying Iran has entered a "far more dangerous" phase of economic pressure following the war with the US and Israel.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a speech at the 18th BRICS leaders' summit in the Indian capital New Delhi.
BRICS is a global economic bloc founded in 2006. It includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, while Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran later joined. Indonesia's accession was announced in early 2025.
Pezeshkian said the world is going through one of its "most complex periods," warning that the increasing use of economic tools to exert pressure has endangered the legitimate trade of other countries. "What is BRICS' response to these problems?" he said.
He added that BRICS' strength would become clearer when the group moves from "potential cooperation to operational cooperation."
"Iran has faced comprehensive sanctions in recent years, and these pressures entered a far more dangerous phase following the US-Israeli aggression," Pezeshkian said.
He said the aggression once again revealed an important reality alongside human and material losses: that economic security cannot be separated from national and regional security.
"When a country's trade, energy, infrastructure or financial system is subjected to political and military pressure, the effects go beyond that country's borders and affect regional stability and the global economy," he said.
Pezeshkian stressed the need to create an environment that prevents any country from obstructing the legitimate trade of others.
He also emphasized the importance of expanding the use of national currencies in trade among BRICS countries.
The Iranian president expressed his country's readiness to serve as a "strategic partner" in the group's energy and transport supply chains.
"Iran is ready to work with BRICS members to build a more open and just economy," he said.
