NEW DELHI, May 14: Iran is a victim of “illegal expansionism and warmongering”, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday urging the BRICS nations to “explicitly condemn” what he described as violations of international law by the US and Israel.
Araghchi delivered the remarks on the opening day of a two-day BRICS conclave in New Delhi, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by foreign ministers from Russia, Brazil and other member states of the bloc.
“The truth is that Iran, like many other independent nations, is the victim of illegal expansionism and warmongering. These are ugly things which have no place in today’s world,” he said.
The India-hosted meet assumed greater significance as the influential bloc grapples with the economic fallout of the West Asia crisis, particularly the severe energy supply disruptions caused by the ongoing war involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
“In the face of horrific violence, the Iranian people have firmly and proudly stood up for themselves. Did we retreat from our ideal of independence? Did we surrender to the will and whims of imperial power? The answer is clear: we did not, and never will,” he said.
Araghchi was severely critical of the US and Israel for targeting Iran and asserted that his country is “unbreakable and only emerges stronger and more united”.
“As I have repeatedly stated, there is no such thing as a military solution to anything related to Iran. We Iranians never bow to any pressure or threat, but we reciprocate the language of respect,” he said.
“As much as our powerful armed forces remain ready to exact devastating retribution on foreign aggressors, my people are peace-loving and do not seek war. We are not the aggressor in this sordid situation, but the aggrieved,” he said.
The Iranian foreign minister called upon the BRICS to resist “Western hegemony and the sense of impunity that the “US believes it is entitled to”.
“Iran, therefore, calls upon BRICS member states and all responsible members of the international community to explicitly condemn violations of international law by the United States and Israel, including their illegal aggression against Iran,” he said.
“We believe that BRICS can and must become one of the principal pillars in shaping a more just, balanced, and humane global order; an order in which might can never make right.”
“Nations which stand up for their dignity and independence may endure hardship, but they will never be defeated,” he said.
It is learnt that there were heated exchanges between Araghchi and UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during one of the two sessions at the conclave and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov intervened to cool the tempers.
Sharp differences among the BRICS member states over the US-Israel war on Iran stalled India’s efforts to build a consensus position on the conflict during a meeting of the grouping’s deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on Middle East and North America last month.
No consensus statement on the conflict could be reached largely due to differences between the UAE and Iran.
The two neighbouring countries have sparred in recent weeks over Iran’s alleged attacks on energy infrastructure in the UAE. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
