ABNA24 - Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi says the final declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit reflects Iran’s positions on several major international issues.
Remarking on Saturday, the senior diplomat enumerated those positions as the Islamic Republic’s stances on the unprovoked attacks on its safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities, unilateral sanctions, the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization, national sovereignty, Palestine, and the situation governing the West Asia region.
Nuclear facilities, regional tensions, and sanctions
Gharibabadi highlighted paragraph 29 of the declaration, which expresses “serious concern” over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, describing such attacks as violations of international law and IAEA resolutions.
Iranian nuclear sites came under attack during two bouts of unwarranted American-Israeli aggression targeting the country last June and earlier this year between February 28 and April 7.
The official said the provision demonstrated growing international consensus on the illegality of attacks against safeguarded nuclear facilities, a principle Iran has consistently emphasized.
He also cited the declaration’s paragraph 28, which expresses deep concern over escalating tensions in West Asia, calls for maximum restraint, and stresses respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the UN Charter.
Paragraphs 22 and 27, meanwhile, condemn “unilateral coercive measures,” including economic and secondary sanctions, as contrary to international law, the official said. The declaration highlights their negative effects on human rights, development, health, and food security, particularly among vulnerable populations, and calls for their removal, he added.
Iran’s WTO accession and BRICS financial mechanisms
Paragraph 20 explicitly expresses strong support for Iran’s request to accede to the World Trade Organization, placing it within the broader objective of reforming the multilateral trading system and increasing the role of the Global South, the diplomat noted.
Gharibabadi also highlighted BRICS efforts to develop independent financial infrastructure.
The declaration supports continued work by the BRICS Payments Task Force to facilitate fast, low-cost, transparent, and secure cross-border settlements; technical discussions on the New Investment Platform and independent securities-settlement infrastructure; strengthening the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement; and expanding the New Development Bank’s financing in local currencies.
The New Investment Platform has been proposed by Russia to fund infrastructure, technology, and trade projects across member nations, while the New Development Bank, formerly called the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral financial institution established by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Reform of global institutions
Citing paragraphs 7, 13, 17, and 18, Gharibabadi said the declaration calls for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to increase representation of developing countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
It also calls for reforms to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to better reflect the position of emerging economies in quotas and voting rights, while opposing attempts to undermine multilateral institutions, he stated.
Gharibabadi said these provisions were consistent with Iran’s preference for a fairer and more multipolar international order.
Palestine, Gaza, and Lebanon
The official highlighted paragraphs 30 to 34 on Palestine, saying the declaration expresses deep concern over continued violence in Gaza despite the ceasefire and calls for full and unhindered humanitarian access.
It rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and demographic or territorial changes in the coastal sliver, supports Palestinians’ right to self-determination and return, and backs full UN membership for the State of Palestine, he said.
The declaration, the official noted, also condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war as well as attacks on civilians, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure, and refers to provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the case brought by South Africa against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. It also rejects unilateral attempts to alter the legal and historical status of the holy occupied city of al-Quds, Gharibabadi said.
These provisions reflected broad support among emerging economies for Palestinian rights, he noted.
Paragraphs 35 and 36 address Lebanon, including repeated Israeli violations of the Lebanon ceasefire and attacks on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the official said, adding that the declaration calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from all Lebanese territory, stresses the immunity of UNIFIL peacekeepers, and condemns attacks against them.
Sovereignty, diplomacy, and a nuclear-free West Asia
Gharibabadi also cited paragraphs 23, 24, and 38, which emphasize respect for states’ sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, opposition to foreign interference, and the need for political processes to be led by the peoples concerned.
The declaration calls for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and warns that rising global military spending is diverting resources from development in developing countries, he remarked.
Paragraph 25 calls for accelerated implementation of resolutions establishing a regional zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, Gharibabadi said, and stressed that implementation should be genuine and non-discriminatory and argued that the Israeli regime’s undeclared nuclear capabilities should be central to the process.
Terrorism, multilateralism, and energy
According to Gharibabadi, Paragraph 40 categorically condemns terrorism regardless of motivation, timing, location or perpetrator, rejects associating terrorism with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnicity, and calls for an end to double standards. He said this supported Iran’s position that counterterrorism efforts should be applied uniformly.
Gharibabadi said paragraphs 2, 7, and 10 emphasize multilateralism, a multipolar international order, and the role of the Global South in addressing geopolitical, economic, and technological challenges, noting that this was aligned with Iran’s strategy of strengthening ties with the East and Global South.
Finally, paragraphs 64 to 67 address energy security, diversification of supply, and protection of critical energy infrastructure, he said. They also recognize the continuing role of fossil fuels, particularly for developing economies, and affirm the sovereignty of resource-rich countries over their mineral reserves, the diplomat added.
‘Iran’s position turning into part of growing global consensus’
The official interpreted that the broad alignment “demonstrates that a foreign policy based on strengthening cooperation with the East and the Global South is turning Iran’s positions into part of the growing consensus among the world’s emerging and developing countries.”
While welcoming these positions, Iran emphasizes the need to translate the declaration’s broad commitments, particularly in the areas of national currencies and independent payment mechanisms, into concrete and time-bound implementation steps, he concluded.
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