Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to South Africa on Wednesday to participate at the BRICS summit of emerging economies, media reported.
Iran is among about 20 countries seeking full membership of the bloc, which accounts for about a quarter of the global economy, and has submitted a formal application to join, media reported Sunday.
The country officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), another trade and security bloc, in July. Iranian officials reportedly said that SCO and BRICS membership would allow Tehran to counter unilateral Western policies.
The two-day summit of BRICS, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will begin in Johannesburg on Thursday. Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with President Vladimir Putin addressing the gathering by video.