DUBAI, August 8. /TASS/. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) occupy a special place in the world due to their capabilities, said Mehdi Safari, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, at the opening of a conference in Tehran dedicated to cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and BRICS.

"The capabilities of the BRICS countries have allowed this group to occupy a special place in the world," Safari said, as reported by the Iranian news agency Fars. He noted that the potential for Iran's relations with BRICS members in the economic sphere is very high. "Russia, India and China are among Iran's economic partners in the region, our economic relations are strong, and we have established strategic cooperation and partnership," he emphasized.

Speaking about the sanctions imposed by a number of Western countries on Tehran, Safari pointed out that Iran "has great potential in the field of transportation and energy." "We have no doubt that BRICS can play a more important role in cooperation with other countries," he continued.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov is visiting Iran on August 7-8. The agenda of his trip includes meetings with the leadership of the Iranian foreign ministry to discuss the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for resolving issues surrounding the Iranian nuclear program and Iran's interaction with the BRICS group.

The BRICS Summit will be held on August 22-24 in Johannesburg under the chairmanship of South Africa. South African Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor reported that the leaders of the BRICS countries will discuss the issue of expanding the organization. According to her, 23 countries altogether have submitted formal applications to join the group.