TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday the unipolar world order does not exist any more as new powers are emerging, stressing that the U.S. 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 here.
“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 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 said 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.”
Kanaani said Iran hopes for 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.
He said IAEA Director 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 said the occupying regime of Israel 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.
“Since the Zionist regime’s so-called national security and survival strategies are anchored in creating and stoking instability and insecurity across the region and in the Muslim world, its mischief will not be exclusively directed at Tehran-Baku ties,” he said.
“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.