TEHRAN -- Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said on Sunday that “relying on Western or Eastern powers will neither guarantee our rights nor our security”.
Writing on his official Twitter account, Shamkhani said: “Field and Diplomacy - as two components of Iran’s power - are used proportionally and judiciously to protect our security & national interests.”
“40 yrs of experience has taught our people that relying on Western or Eastern powers will neither guarantee our rights nor our security.”
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran will strongly protect its national interests and independence and will never allow any country to interfere in its domestic affairs.
“We are strong enough and we will not give up any effort to protect the country’s national interests, independence and integrity,” he said.
“On the other hand, we will not allow any country to exploit or interfere” in the country’s affairs, he added.
Referring to Iran’s fierce resistance against the West, Khatibzadeh said the country’s foreign policy “is based on resistance and resilience and we, in the diplomatic apparatus, do not allow anyone to decide for us”.
The Islamic Republic has managed to gain power over recent years by relying on its scientific capabilities, he added.
Khatibzadeh also said Iran pursues an “independent” stance on the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, reiterating Tehran’s opposition to war.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he said, the international system had been undergoing changes and the ground for the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine had been prepared since three decades ago.