The formal invitation for Iran to become a member of BRICS, formalized on Thursday, 24th, together with Saudi Arabia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia, was seen with reservations by the Brazilian Jewish community, which questions greater rapprochement with the Persian country due to the growing tension between Tehran and Israel. The Islamic republic openly preaches the destruction of Israel, which, in turn, considers Iran one of the main threats to its security
The Brazilian Israeli Confederation (Conib) repudiated the invitation made to Iran to become a member of Brics, pointing out that the practices of the Tehran regime are not in line with the proposals of Brazilian diplomacy.
“Conib regrets and views with concern the possible entry of Iran into the Brics bloc. The Iranian theocracy openly defends the destruction of Israel, oppresses its population, harshly persecutes women and homosexuals and promotes terrorism in the Middle East and beyond. These are not stances nor values that are in line with the humanist values defended by Brazilian diplomacy”, says the entity.
Discomfort
The Jewish community’s discomfort with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s foreign policy in relation to the Middle East began in the PT member’s second term. In 2009, during the Brazilian president’s second term, the community protested against the coming of then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brasília.
For the academic advisor at the Brazil-Israel Institute and professor of international relations at the University of Sorocaba, Karina Calandrin, the PT governments’ foreign policy towards Israel has always been viewed with many reservations.
“It’s the same discomfort that occurred when Lula made himself available to mediate negotiations for a nuclear agreement with Iran in 2010,” says the professor.
During Dilma Rousseff’s administration, criticism came from the notes published by Itamaraty, which, in the opinion of the Brazilian Jewish community, condemned the Israelis more than the Hamas group for the conflicts in the Gaza Strip. “There is criticism that Brazil’s position would be too hard on Israel and too soft on Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the Israelis”, adds Calandrin.
In a note sent toEstadãothe Iranian embassy in Brasília pointed out that the BRICS are part of a transformation in international relations and that the increase in the number of member countries from the Global South will contribute to the bloc’s greater effectiveness.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has significant political and economic cooperation with all five members of the BRICS group. We have clearly witnessed the strengthening and deepening of this cooperation in recent years. Iran strongly supports the BRICS’ successful efforts to strengthen economic relations between members, as well as the use of national currencies and the strengthening of the bloc’s payment mechanisms.”
The embassy also pointed out that the Persian country wants to take advantage of opportunities for Iranian companies to expand cooperation with Brazil and other countries in the bloc. “Iran is ready to actively participate in all areas of BRICS activity due to its energy resources as well as high scientific and engineering capabilities in various domains.”
The embassy note also points out that the relationship between Tehran and Brasília has not yet explored several important sectors for the bilateral partnership between the countries in the technology, mining and industry segments. “There are enormous business capabilities between Iran, an important Asian country, and Brazil, as a constantly growing emerging country in South America.”
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, met with the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, during the 15th BRICS summit, which confirmed the bloc’s invitation for Iran to become one of the new members from the year next Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/Presidency of the Republic
In an interview with Estadão, the creator of the Bric acronym and former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill stated that he is “almost about to say that the Brics are over” after the entry of new members to the group.
“If we look at the new countries, it’s not obvious what they actually have, whether individually or to add to the group. Particularly because of Iran, it seems like the BRICS symbolism is becoming more and more meaningless. Because obviously looking Iran’s status in relation to the West is a very problematic situation”, pointed out the economist.
Opportunity
For professor of politics and international relations at the University of London and expert on Iran, Karabekir Akkoyunlu, the Persian country sought entry into the BRICS to break the isolation it faces in the international arena.
“The isolation occurs due to economic sanctions from Western countries and led by the USA, but the regime has faced a very large crisis of legitimacy internally and Iran is trying to improve this issue”, points out the analyst. “Iran’s membership of BRICS is a recognition by non-Western powers, particularly China and Russia, of Tehran’s legitimacy, which could improve the image of the Iranian regime domestically and also globally, possibly increasing the potential for commercial economic relations with the non-Western world”.
On the eve of the Brics summit, Iran pressured Brazil to show support for Iran’s bid to join the bloc.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry / AP
“As a country that supports multipolarity, Iran believes that the BRICS should grow and, through our good relations with the five member countries, we have great interest in joining this group,” said Ali Bagheri, envoy of the Iranian diplomat visiting Itamaraty. “We are sure that the entry of countries like Iran will bring more strength and stability, positive effects for the BRICS, and in this sense we have a common vision with our Brazilian friends.”
On Thursday, the 24th, President Lula met with the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and praised the commercial relations between the two countries. Iran was the largest importer of Brazilian products in the Middle East in 2022 and 18th in the general list of importers last year. Israel, in the same period, was the fourth largest buyer of Brazilian products in the Middle East and 35th overall.
Akkoyunlu assesses that Iran’s entry, as well as the entry of other countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is part of a BRICS strategy to host some of the largest oil and gas producers in the world.
The international relations professor also highlights that Iran’s attempt to escape international isolation has been going on for some time. “The restored diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and mediated by China show this Iranian attempt. Tehran’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization this year reflects this strong lobbying of Iran’s foreign ministry.”
Pragmatism
For the academic advisor at the Brazil Israel Institute, the Israeli Foreign Ministry should not speak out publicly, opting for pragmatism in relation to Brazil.
“Israel wants to resolve its internal problems and if we think about the other countries that were also invited to join the BRICS, Israel has no objection to this. Dialogue with Saudi Arabia is growing, the country also has good relations with Ethiopia, Egypt , United Arab Emirates and Argentina”, highlights Calandrin
According to Akkoyunlu, the Brazilian government is trying to maintain good relations with the West and non-Western countries. “The Lula government continues to be very pragmatic in relation to international relations, despite the entry of Iran and other BRICS countries”, he adds.
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