Turkish FM’s Remarks ‘Unconstructive’

Iran: Zelensky Humiliation ‘Wake-Up Call’

Date: 03 March 2025 - 21:42

News ID: ۱۳۷۵۳۹

TEHRAN -- Iran said Monday U.S. President Donald Trump’s humiliating behavior towards his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House serves as a “wake-up call” to a return to the 19th-century era of bullying in international relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks at his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, three days after Trump shouted at Zelensky during a heated Oval Office meeting, telling him to make a deal with Russia or lose Washington’s support.
“Everyone saw this. Everyone can have their own interpretation of the dialogue and discussions,” he said.
“It is a wake-up call and we should answer the question: Is international politics going to return to the 19th century, when power was dominant in relations between governments? The two World Wars and their consequences led the international community to conclude that the use of force should be contained and relations should be based on law.”
During Friday’s fiery exchange, Trump told Zelensky that he had no cards and was in no position to make requests of the United States, accusing the Ukrainian president of not being thankful enough for U.S. military and political support during Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Baghaei underlined the importance of security as an endogenous matter.
“The countries of the region must act on their own to ensure stability in the region. They cannot pin hope on any third party,” he said. “This has always been Iran’s principled policy and an important issue that everyone should remind themselves of.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the spokesman touched on the instructions by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chair to staffers to refer to the occupied West Bank by its biblical name.
“Changing the name cannot change the realities on the ground. What is clear is that the West Bank and Gaza are parts of historical Palestine and that they cannot be questioned or changed,” he said.
Such moves, he noted, show the U.S. politicians’ complicity in the genocide against the Palestinian nation.
He also referred to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent “criticism” of Iran’s foreign policy.
He said Tehran attaches great value to its relations with Ankara despite old differences of opinion with the neighboring country.
“The art of both sides has been to manage disagreements in a very rational manner without damaging their good bilateral ties. At the same time, we heard unconstructive statements that required Iran to announce its position very firmly,” he said.
“We are aware of the importance and existence of mutual interests in relations between two neighboring and historical nations. The two countries have been able to resolve differences and different perspectives with a rational approach without harming relations. The recent talks, which have unfortunately been repeated many times, were unconstructive, and therefore it was necessary for Iran’s position on this matter to be clearly and decisively stated. We are witnessing the consequences of what has happened in the region over the past three or four months, especially from the perspective of the actions of the Zionist regime in the region and in Syria.
“It is necessary for our Turkish friends to think more about the results and consequences that have affected their policies. What should be the focus of our attention and that of Turkey and other countries is to be able to create a safe and conflict-free region. We are determined on this path and believe that Turkey is also both aware of and concerned about the importance of maintaining and promoting bilateral relations based on the national interests of the two nations. We hope to continue this path with cooperation,” he said.
Baghaei further called on the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency to carry out his professional duties and avoid making anti-Iranian comments on the basis of unrealistic guesses that serve the demands of Westerners.
He dismissed the recent allegations that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has made against Iran.
“We expect the IAEA director general to act in accordance with his duties,” the spokesperson said.
Baghaei reminded the UN nuclear chief that making comments on the basis of guesses and speculations neither is within the purview of the IAEA director general nor does it help resolve the problems.
The statements against Iran made by Grossi are not founded upon facts, he added.
The spokesman reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is in conformity with the international
frameworks, the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), and the Safeguards Agreements.
While the IAEA has all the capacities to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities, the anti-Iranian moves are meant to serve the demands of certain Western countries and prove that such hostile reports originate from political issues, Baghaei said.
He noted that Iran will show an appropriate reaction after the outcome of the next meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors is known.