Iran is positioning itself as a driving force within the BRICS bloc, pushing for transformative initiatives that challenge Western-dominated global systems. Under President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, Tehran has prioritized two core pillars of the group’s agenda: sustainable development and financial independence.
At the 11th BRICS Environment Ministerial Meeting in Brasilia earlier this year, Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment, Shina Ansari, formally proposed the creation of a BRICS Green Innovation Fund. The initiative, aimed at financing climate-related projects in developing countries, underscores Tehran’s desire to anchor BRICS as a leader in global environmental cooperation.
“The fund would serve as a vital mechanism to mitigate the effects of climate change, while empowering nations of the Global South,” Ansari said.
Alongside its environmental diplomacy, Iran has strongly advocated for the bloc’s long-term strategy of de-dollarization. Speaking in Moscow earlier this year, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, stressed that “the expansion of BRICS in 2024 marked a turning point,” predicting that by 2030 the dollar’s share in global reserves could fall from 58% to as low as 35-40%.
He added that BRICS nations are on track to represent nearly half of global GDP within the next decade, surpassing the economic weight of the G7.
President Pezeshkian has also reinforced this vision at multiple BRICS summits, arguing that U.S. reliance on the dollar as a geopolitical tool has created instability.
“At present, many countries around the world are dissatisfied because the United States is using the dollar as a weapon or tool to control other nations,” he declared.
His administration has called for broader use of national currencies, digital payment systems, and the strengthening of the BRICS-led New Development Bank (NDB) as an alternative to Western financial institutions.
Iran’s approach blends its resistance to U.S. influence with a forward-looking agenda that emphasizes climate action, equitable development, and multipolar cooperation. The recent expansion of BRICS to 11 full members—including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE—along with new partner countries like Belarus and Nigeria, gives Tehran a broader platform to push these initiatives.
By promoting both a Green Fund and financial sovereignty, Iran is positioning itself as a pivotal player in shaping a multipolar order. Its dual focus highlights a strategy that is both ideological and pragmatic: resisting Western hegemony while advancing collective resilience across the Global South.
