Iran's membership in the BRICS group of emerging economies starting next year will enable the country to play a more active role in the de-dollarization process, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said.
"The world is moving toward de-dollarization. Just as countries are using their national currencies, international organizations are seeking to create new currencies to use in transactions with each other ... This idea is now being thoroughly discussed in BRICS, and given that [Iran] will join BRICS on January 1, we will be able to play a more active role in de-dollarization," Jalali told Iran's Nour News.
A total of 60% of trade between Russia and Iran is now settled in national currencies, the ambassador added.
BRICS, established in 2009, is a group uniting the world's largest developing economies, which currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In August, the 15th top-level BRICS summit in Johannesburg extended invitations to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to join the bloc. Their full membership is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024.