TEHRAN (Iran News) –The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry says the unipolar world order has ceased to exist as new powers are emerging, stressing that the US government is faced with a shrinking sphere of influence and depleting power.
“A unipolar world does not exist anymore, and the United States is not known as a superpower any longer. Of course, it can be viewed as a power; but actually not as a superpower,” Nasser Kanaani told reporters during a weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday.
“In light of the Islamic Republic’s capabilities, as well as the shift in the balance of power both at regional and international levels, the [Iranian] administration has tried to unlock all such potentials in order to secure the interests of the Iranian nation, foster regional convergence as a fairly comprehensive approach towards common interests, and help de-escalate regional conflicts,” he said.
He added Iran has time and again reiterated that it will not limit its foreign policy to one specific geographical region or certain political bloc.
“We will continue to forge and cement friendly relations with all the countries that are willing to adopt the same approach on the basis of mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani stated that Iran hopes for the technical cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to continue, and for the outstanding issues in the country’s nuclear program to be resolved.
The top Iranian diplomat highlighted that IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi paid a visit to Tehran in March, as a result of which technical delegations were exchanged, representatives of the world nuclear body traveled to Iran and technical talks were held within the framework of the agreement reached between the two sides and declared officially.
“The talks are ongoing as per the agreement. This is a technical path. Should the technical path not get overshadowed by political issues and stances, we hope for the process of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA to maintain, and for positive steps toward resolution of the outstanding technical issues to be taken.”
Touching on diplomatic relations between Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan, Kanaani stated that the Israeli regime is an implacable enemy to relations between the two Muslim neighboring countries and is seeking to foment discord in order to reap its own benefits.
Azerbaijan’s government has underlined the significance of diplomacy with the Islamic Republic of Iran and described Tehran as an “important neighbor” for Baku.
“Since the Zionist regime’s so-called national security and survival strategies are anchored in creating and stoking instability and insecurity across the [West Asia] region and in the Muslim world, its mischief will not be exclusively directed at Tehran-Baku ties.”
“Iran lays great emphasis on the principle of good neighborliness, and gives special focus on friendly relations on the basis of mutual respect and common interests,” he said.
Referring to the fourth meeting of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries held with the participation of foreign ministers and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, China, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan in Samarkand, Kan’ani said that Iran will make efforts to improve the security conditions in Afghanistan through regional frameworks and multilateral meetings.
Iran’s policy in this regard is conscious and intelligent, and it is in the interests of the people of Afghanistan and Iran’s security, he noted.