Ayatollah Khamenei Outlines Foreign Policy Principles

Proper Positioning of Iran in New World Order

Date: 20 May 2023 - 22:54

News ID: ۱۱۵۲۵۰

TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei here on Saturday hailed the current Iranian administration’s policy to communicate with neighboring countries, describing it as a correct and important measure.
Addressing the minister and senior officials of Iran’s foreign ministry and ambassadors and representatives of the Islamic Republic in other countries, the Leader said foreign hands are actively at work to create problems between Iran and its neighbors.
“You should not allow this policy to be realized. Contrary to the enemies’ desires, you should continue having relations with our neighbors, Islamic countries and countries whose policies are in line with that of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
The Leader said it is important to maintain relations with like-minded and Islamic countries, even if they are far away.
“Today, the cooperation and alignment of some big and important countries of the world with the Islamic Republic of Iran in some processes and fundamental lines of international politics is an unprecedented phenomenon, and we should appreciate this opportunity and strengthen the relations with those countries.”
Ayatollah Khamenei expounded on the meanings of the three keywords “honor, wisdom, and expediency” in Iranian foreign policy.
“Honor is negating the diplomacy of imploring, both in words and in content and avoiding to pin hopes on the words and decisions of foreign officials,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said wisdom means acting prudently, sensibly and considerately in all bilateral and multilateral interactions, and steering clear of derogatory, scathing and disparaging comments.
“All measures in foreign policy must be logical and well thought-out. Uncalculated decisions and actions have inflicted harm on the country at certain junctures.”
Abstaining from unwarranted trust in other parties is another concept of wisdom, the Leader said.
“Of course, not everything should be regarded as a lie in the world of politics, because there are truthful and acceptable words as well, however, not everything that is said should be trusted,” the Leader said.
Expediency in the sense of having flexibility in places where it is necessary to bypass hard and rocky obstacles in order to continue a path is another important keyword, the Leader said.
“Being flexible does not mean you should ignore principles. Of course, a few years ago, when I mentioned the term, ‘heroic flexibility’, it was misunderstood both inside and outside the country, because expediency means finding a way to overcome difficult

obstacles and to continue the path until you reach your goal.”
The Leader cited six mandatory rules in foreign policy, saying “compliance with these indicators is a sign of successful foreign policy.
“If these rules are not observed, there will be problems either in theory or in the functioning and operations of foreign diplomacy.”
The first principle is the ability to convincingly explain the rationale behind the country’s approaches toward various issues, he said.
Having an effective, directive presence in various political-economic phenomena, events and currents in the world, overcoming and reducing threatening policies and decisions against Iran, weakening dangerous centers, strengthening the governments and organizations that are allies with Iran as well as developing the country’s strategic depth, and the ability to detect hidden layers in regional and global decisions and actions are the other principles.
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the ongoing transformation in the current world order and the frequent repetition of this issue in world literature.
“The change in the world order is a long-term process full of ups and downs and affected by possible unforeseen events, and different countries have different and conflicting opinions and approaches to it,” the Leader said.
The Leader said it is necessary to properly place Iran in the new order by monitoring and evaluating global developments and recognizing the exact direction and behind the scenes of events.
“Based on this observation and evaluation, practical suggestions should be drawn up. Our ambassadors and heads of delegations play an important role in this field, especially in the influential countries.”
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the importance of foreign policy and its important role in the administration and improvement of the country.
“Despite paying attention to the economic and cultural factors in the analysis of the country’s current state, the foreign policy factor is often neglected in discussions. This is while a good and successful foreign policy will definitely improve the state of the country. On the other hand, disturbances and problems in foreign policy will result in problems in the general situation of the country, of which there are plenty of examples.”
The Leader described Iran’s representatives abroad as representatives of the Iranian people, underlining that their behavior reflects the identity and nature of the Iranian nation.
“An Iranian diplomat must serve as the epitome of faith, patriotism towards Iran, zeal, determination, dynamism, and hard work.”