Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the 14th BRICS Summit in virtual format, via video link, June 23, 2022.
Iran has applied to become a member in the group of emerging economies known as the BRICS, Russia and Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
Iran's membership in the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, "would result in added values for both sides," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said separately that Argentina had also applied to join the group. Argentinian officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, currently in Europe, has in recent days reiterated his desire for Argentina to join BRICS.
"While the White House was thinking about what else to turn off in the world, ban or spoil, Argentina and Iran applied to join the BRICS," Zakharova wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Both Iran and Russia are under wide-ranging international and US sanctions, looking for ways to expand trading ties to survive export bans.
Russia has long been pushing to forge closer ties with Asia, South America and the Middle East, but it has intensified its efforts recently to weather sanctions imposed by Europe, the United States and other countries over its invasion on Ukraine.
Iran has long espoused closer ties with “the East”, meaning China and Russia as it has continued nuclear and ballistic missile programs seen as threats by the United States and several regional countries.
The BRICS is not a formal alliance, but a nascent international grouping intended to expand the power of emerging economies in larger international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.