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Iran BRICS membership

Iran’s admission to the BRICS group of major non-Western economies has shaken West Asian countries’ confidence in the United States. That’s according to a senior advisor to Iran’s leader. Speaking to Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV channel, Ali Akbar Velayati added that Iran’s membership has boosted the Islamic Republic’s cooperation with regional states. He said Tehran’s accession to BRICS shows that the US and its allies have failed to isolate the country. Velayati said Iran’s membership also helps thwart sanctions. He further touched upon the impacts of BRICS’s expansion on the US dollar. The Iranian official said the greenback is under threat as the world becomes more multipolar. Last week, BRICS announced that Iran and five other countries had been invited to join the bloc as new members from January 1, 2024. In their South Africa summit, BRICS leaders also discussed ways of reducing dependency on the US dollar.

Hezbollah Daesh battle

The secretary general of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement says the war with Daesh in Lebanon was part of a wider battle in the West Asia region. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the US, along with some local powers, hindered the Lebanese army’s battle against Takfiri terrorists. He added that Washington threatened the Lebanese government at the time that it would suspend any aid to the country in case it stands against Daesh. Nasrallah also touched on the issue of Palestine in his speech. He said Israel is facing a historical crisis, which will not be resolved unless it returns the land it has occupied to the people it belongs to. The Hezbollah chief made the speech on the occasion of the second liberation, which occurred on August 28, 2017 in which Lebanon's northern and eastern borders were cleared of Daesh terrorists.

Korean Peninsula tensions

The leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has lashed out at the US, South Korea and Japan for pursuing reckless confrontational moves. Kim Jong Un said the three countries have reduced the waters off the Korean Peninsula to the world's biggest war hardware concentration spot. Kim warned of the danger of a nuclear war in what he called the most unstable waters in the world. He called for the strengthening of the country's naval forces. Kim added that the DPRK's navy will become a component of the country's nuclear deterrence. Earlier this month, the leaders of the US, South Korea and Japan agreed to deepen military cooperation in the face of what they described as Pyongyang’s nuclear threats. Last week, Washington and Seoul also began joint military exercises. The DPRK views the drills as rehearsals for invasion of its territory.

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