DUBAI, September 27. /TASS/. BRICS should play a larger role in global affairs, especially when it comes to the economic sphere, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"The role of BRICS in the international arena should be expanded, especially when it comes to economics. This is the desire of all BRICS members. As a new pole of the economic world, we want to carry out all financial and trade transactions between our countries without US involvement and without relying on its financial system," Araghchi emphasized on the air of the IRIB TV channel. According to the minister, the desire of many countries to join BRICS shows that the organization is "finding its place in the new world order." The top Iranian diplomat added that "the number of countries willing to join BRICS or simply partner with it is growing significantly."

On September 26, Iranian Minister of Energy Abbas Aliabadi suggested that the accession of Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia to BRICS could help turn this organization into a unique economic and political force, given the vast energy resources these countries possess.

Six new members were invited to join BRICS in August 2023. Five eventually joined, while Argentina informed that it would not become a member in late December. The five new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - became full-fledged BRICS member states on January 1, 2024. Russia has assumed the rotating BRICS chairmanship. Malaysia, which is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), applied to join BRICS in July.