By Alireza Hashemi
A Brazilian geopolitical analyst has hailed Iran’s accession to BRICS as a “masterstroke” of diplomacy, saying it will allow the country to reap great benefits in trade and transit.
Pepe Escobar, speaking to the Press TV website, said Iran has been increasingly working in sync with the Russia-China strategic partnership, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Shanghai Security Organization (SCO), and this strategic relationship helped prepare the ground for its BRICS membership.
“Iran is in total sync with the Russia-China strategic partnership. India was also from the start in favor of Iran’s admission, because of the International North-South Transport Corridor,” he said, referring to a transit route connecting Northern Europe to South Asia VIA Iran that is being completed.
However, what made Iran one of the first additions to BRICS was its “excellent diplomatic work”, the prominent geopolitical analyst and journalist, who has authored ‘Raging Twenties’ among other books.
“For Iran, this is a masterstroke. This was done thanks to excellent diplomatic work by the Iranian foreign ministry,” he noted in conversation with the Press TV website.
Escobar said Iran’s BRICS membership allows the country to reap many benefits, including in the fields of trade and transit.
“The possibilities of increased trade for Iran are limitless. Now BRICS even includes former Iran foes Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he remarked.
“Also centrality of Iran in Eurasia is reaffirmed and this strengthens Iran’s transit potential. Both BRICS and INSTC may profit Iran in leaps and bounds from now on.”
Escobar further said the accession also helps boost Iran’s image worldwide and offers ways to further improve the country’s soft power.
“Iran should improve its soft power in Africa and South America, where it is viewed with deep respect by the overwhelming majority of public opinion,” he said.
Pertinently, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi recently toured both Latin America and Africa where he was received warmly and entered a series of ambitious agreements with several countries.
The analyst said there are still challenges to Iran-BRICS cooperation, particularly over Western sanctions, which need to be dealt with.
“The question to solve is the New Development Bank, which is still prevented from issuing large loans bypassing the US dollar because of the bank’s statutes,” Escobar remarked.
“Further on down the road, the NDB can be not only helpful in loans for Iran but also financing Syria reconstruction.”
The New Development Bank of BRICS is deemed an important economic pillar of the influential bloc, which was established in 2014 with the aim of forging convergence among independent countries.
The Shanghai-headquartered bank was set up initially with a capital of $100 billion to finance infrastructure projects in BRICS member countries and other emerging markets.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
