The minister made the remarks in a meeting with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Cape Town on Thursday, stressing the world order is changing.

The chief Iranian diplomat stated that the SCO and the BRICS group of emerging economies can have a huge influence on the establishment of the new world order.

The SCO was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 2001, and today forms the world's biggest regional market with eight official members, and three observer states. Iran and the SCO started a formal process for Tehran’s accession in March 2022. Iran's membership was later approved by the administration in Tehran.

The BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which hold about half of the world’s population, accounting for 30 percent of the total land area of the world. The significance of this group and its leading role in the world economy has caused several countries including Iran to show a tendency to join.

Amir Abdollahian expressed hope that BRICS member states would soon work out mechanisms for the membership of Iran and other interested countries.

He added efforts are underway to hold a session of the Iran-South Africa Joint Economic Commission in South Africa's administrative capital, Pretoria. The Iranian minister praised the forthcoming event as it would help enhance relations between the two countries.

The foreign minister stressed the need to implement already concluded agreements with South Africa. He stated it was necessary to activate sub-committees of the Joint Economic Commission as soon as possible.

The senior diplomat listed some capacities of his country’s technological and engineering companies, adding that Iran was prepared to tap such capabilities and further cement economic cooperation with South Africa.

Amir Abdollahian then pointed to Iran's invaluable experience in helping neighboring countries to fight terrorism, voicing his country’s preparedness to hold expert consultations with relevant South African institutions in this regard.

He also appreciated South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause and the oppressed nation’s struggle against Israel.

Pandor, for his part, appreciated Amir Abdollahian’s presence at the BRICS meeting.

She stated that the BRICS foreign ministers will exchange viewpoints on the membership mechanism and deliver the results to the next summit. The minister welcomed new countries joining the BRICS Cooperation Bank.

The top diplomat also called for the expansion of economic cooperation between Pretoria and Tehran. She hoped the ground would be prepared for the visit of President Ebrahim Raeisi to Pretoria in the near future.

Pandor also pointed to some developments in the Southern flank of Africa and referred to terrorism as one of the biggest dangers in the region.

Iranian officials say the future of the world will not witness unilateralism, and multilateralism will spread across the globe. They have asked independent states to challenge the US hegemony in the region and around the world, and stressed that domineering behavior is not just special to Democrats or Republicans but in the nature of American policies.