Aggressive unilateralism of current US administration behind regional crises: Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has blamed the problems facing the West Asian region on the “aggressive unilateralism of the current US administration,” saying inclusive dialogue among regional countries is the only way out of the current crises.

“Our continent in general and West Asia and the Persian Gulf region in particular are undergoing crises caused primarily by the lack of inclusive regional dialogue coupled with short-sighted adventures and the aggressive unilateralism of the current US administration,” Zarif told the 16th ministerial meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday.

Underlining the need for cooperation among countries of the region, Zarif said he had earlier proposed the establishment of a ‘Regional Dialogue Forum’ in the Persian Gulf to address dialogue deficiency.

“Every player in our region should understand that we are neighbors forever, and that the only way to secure peace and prosperity is through the recognition of a common destiny and an acceptance that inclusive multilateral dialog is the only way out of the current multidimensional crises facing us all,” he noted.

The top Iranian diplomat also warned about the US policy of unilateralism across the world, saying it could pose threats to everyone and called for collective efforts to address the alarming issue.

“We also need to collectively address the alarming unilateralism of the current US administration. The imposition of the will of a single power over all other nations is an existential threat—sooner or later—for everyone,” he said.

“Unless we align our capabilities to secure multilateralism, arising and aggressive unilateralist wave can cover the entire world, quickly replacing the rule of law with the rule of the jungle,” he added.

He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to promotion of interaction among regional nations, saying “Iran will always be a steadfast partner” in the “relentless pursuit of dialog and multilateralism.”

On the sidelines of the Doha conference, Zarif told reports that Iran hopes to have good relations with Saudi Arabia and other regional Arab countries, and called for an end to their bitter dispute with the Persian Gulf neighbor Qatar.

"We have extremely good relations with Qatar, Kuwait, Oman. We hope to have the same type of relations with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates," Zarif said.

Zarif also hoped that countries within the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council could “resolve their differences peacefully.”

"We were against pressure on Qatar; we still believe that pressure on Qatar is against international law,” he said.

SS