Pezeshkian: BRICS Has Potential to End US Unipolar World

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian during the BRICS summit, October 23, 2024 (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian during the BRICS summit, October 23, 2024 (Reuters)
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Pezeshkian: BRICS Has Potential to End US Unipolar World

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian during the BRICS summit, October 23, 2024 (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian during the BRICS summit, October 23, 2024 (Reuters)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that the BRICS summit has the potential to eclipse the US-dominated unipolar world, also calling on the group’s members to use their power to end the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

The meeting in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking shortly before he departed for Kazan to attend the BRICS summit, Pezeshkian said the BRICS group was established to create unity and cohesion and to give emerging economies more power and expand their role in world affairs to confront the American totalitarianism.

He also highlighted plans to reach significant agreements in the fields of energy, industry, trade, and tourism during the summit.

In Moscow, Pezeshkian urged on Wednesday members of the BRICS grouping to help “end the war” in Gaza and Lebanon.

“I call on all members of the influential BRICS group to use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said during a speech at the summit.

The Iranian President also described the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon against Israel as “the most cruel and painful.”

Iran formally this year joined BRICS grouping which takes its name from the initial letters of the five members who joined in 2009 -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Pezeshkian's remarks came as Iran intensified diplomatic efforts to push for ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza as well as ways to contain the conflicts.

Iran itself is braced for Israel's promised retaliatory attack after Tehran launched a barrage of around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1.

Putin on Wednesday told his Iranian counterpart that he wanted to further “strengthen” ties with Tehran, which has been widely accused of sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine.

Putin said the relationship between both countries is progressing positively with a genuinely friendly and constructive nature.

He then said Russian wants to enhance the positive dynamics of trade and economic cooperation with Iran.



Biden Casts Early Ballot for Harris as Election Day Nears

 President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
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Biden Casts Early Ballot for Harris as Election Day Nears

 President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)

President Joe Biden has cast an early ballot in the 2024 general election.

It's a bittersweet moment for Biden, who decided to end his reelection campaign in July because of growing concerns about his health and Democrats' worries about his chances of defeating former President Donald Trump.  

Biden voted on Monday at the state of Delaware Department of Elections, not far from his home outside Wilmington, Delaware at an early voting site, where voters were lined up down the street to cast ballots.

Biden chatted with voters as he waited in line to cast his ballot, and helped push an older woman in a wheelchair who ahead of him. The president waited in line for about 40 minutes before he cast his ballot.

He handed his identification to the election worker, who had him sign a form and announced: “Joseph Biden now voting.”

As the president cast his ballot behind a black drape, some first-time voters were announced and the room erupted in cheers for them.

For all but a few years since 1970, Biden has either held office or been running for one during election season.

But this year, his hopes lie with a newer generation of Democrats, including three on the Delaware ballot looking to make history.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed after dropping out, is vying to become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as president.