Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will depart Tehran for Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the BRICS meeting in response to an official invitation by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Iran PressIran news: The five BRICS members- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa- and their allies will meet in Johannesburg on August 22-24 to discuss how to further reinforce the club of major emerging economies to better counter Western dominance.

Leaders from more than 70 countries have been invited to take part in the summit, and the Iranian president is expected to meet separately with several of the heads of states on the sidelines of the conference, IRNA reported.

Iran is among dozens of countries that seek membership in the BRICS and has submitted a formal application to join the body, which accounts for a quarter of the global economy.

Last month, Iran officially became the ninth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an influential regional trade and security alliance headquartered in Beijing.

Iranian officials have said the country’s full membership in the SCO and potential accession to BRICS will help promote multilateralism and counter unilateral policies of the West, including economic sanctions.

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