TEHRAN: A senior adviser to Iran’s president on Thursday hailed the country’s forthcoming admission to the BRICS grouping as a triumph of diplomacy for the Islamic republic.

The BRICS club — which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — will be welcoming Iran along with other five countries as permanent members starting next year.

Thursday’s announcement came amid intensified diplomacy by Iran to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and offset the impact of crippling sanctions reimposed after the 2018 withdrawal of the United States from a landmark nuclear deal.

“Permanent membership in the group of global emerging economies is considered a historic development and a strategic success for the foreign policy of the Islamic republic,” Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The BRICS grouping represents 23 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and 42 percent of the world’s population. It is seeking to dull Western economic domination in global affairs.

Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Ethiopia will also be joining BRICS from 2024, according to the announcement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Last month, Iran became the ninth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization which encompasses a vast stretch of the globe from Moscow to Beijing and includes around half the world’s population.