At a gathering of nations that are challenging the dominance of the United States, Iran’s president took the main stage on Friday, flanked by the leaders of Russia and India, to condemn “military aggression” by the United States.
Iran wants to show that Western sanctions have not left it isolated, even as it digs into a war with the United States that has severely restricted the crucial Strait of Hormuz route for oil and other commodities.
President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran spoke at the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the BRICS summit, which brings together countries like China, Russia, Brazil and India that share an interest in reducing the world’s dependence on Western institutions.
“This aggression, alongside its human and material damage, once again revealed an important reality, economic security cannot be separated from national security and regional security,” Mr. Pezeshkian said.
He called for more economic resilience and cooperation among BRICS countries to “create a space in which no country can disrupt the legitimate trade of another country by monopolizing a financial or technological tool.”
But the BRICS club of nations also includes countries like the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. security partner that Iran, another BRICS member, has attacked.
