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Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif delivered a speech at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) mid-term Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday 13 July 2020, the full text of which is as following:

“Mr. Chairman,

The surging global challenges we face today have reinforced the need for greater collective action at the international level. In fact, multilateralism is no longer the prudent alternative. Rather, it is the only viable response to the world’s pressing crises. There can be no doubt that the Non-Aligned Movement—as a prominent intergovernmental platform—can provide a good opportunity to enhance and strengthen global partnerships at a time of rising unilateralism and protectionism in the international arena.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the greatest test of worldwide solidarity in generations. It has reminded us of how interdependent we actually are, and how crucial international cooperation is to our collective health, prosperity and security. This pandemic—as any other—calls for a strong coordinated international response that can rapidly expand access to tests, treatments and vaccines while recognizing extensive immunization as a public good that must be available and affordable for all, including—and perhaps especially— developing countries.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently and continuously demonstrated its commitment to multilateralism as the tenet of a robust foreign policy. As such, we continue to advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in West Asia. In this context, we are engaged in active cooperation with the UN in peace efforts in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. We proposed the “Hormuz Peace Endeavor—HOPE” as well as a “Regional Dialogue Forum” in the Persian Gulf, as inclusive approaches to cooperation and dispute settlement.

And globally, we have demonstrated our resolute commitment to dialogue and diplomacy by actively participating in different international fora to tackle a multitude of international challenges, including in recent months the negotiations to revive and resuscitate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This, in spite of abject failure of Europe to provide the promised economic dividends to our people following the unlawful U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA, and the reluctance of the new U.S. administration to abandon Trump’s failed “maximum pressure” policy.

Multilateralism has been undermined and its practice threatened by unilateralism and bullying practices of certain powers. The extreme unilateral adventurism of the U.S. is the most important challenge that almost all of us have been facing—one way or another. It continues to undermine the rule of law at the international level and threatens peace and stability throughout the world. While some nations are threatened by economic terrorism and military aggressions, others bear the brunt of a crude American protectionist impulse.

The blind and unbridled support for apartheid in Palestine, and the denial of the basic rights of the Palestinian people, further exacerbate the unstable situation in the entire Middle East region. The very few Arab countries who have aligned themselves with these and other US schemes not only betray the Palestinian people, but further jeopardize peace and security in the whole region.

To defend multilateralism, it is imperative to reject and prevent any perceived benefit and advantage drawn from unlawful unilateral actions and to reject any pressure in contravention of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

And, today it is more incumbent upon NAM than ever to form a united front to reject unilateralism and promote multilateralism in order to collectively tackle all the complex challenges facing our movement today.”

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Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, stating that opposition to unilateralism and protection of multilateralism are important priorities of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, said: “Iran, while maintaining proportion and balance in its foreign relations with different parts of the world, places a special emphasis on its neighbors and the historical, civilizational and religious continent of Asia, where we all live.”

Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the second conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) held in Pakistan via video-conferencing, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the ECO Parliamentary Assembly has provided this opportunity for the member states which can assist the governments in achieving the ECO’s lofty goals through effective legal and regulatory support.

The current century belongs to Asia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said, adding that while maintaining balance and proportion in its foreign relations with different parts of the world, Tehran emphasizes a special look at the neighbors and the historical, civilizational and religious continent of Asia.

Referring to the issue of Palestine, Qalibaf said: “In recent days, the world has witnessed the recurrence of widespread crimes of the fake Israeli regime against the Palestinian people, especially the killing of women and children.”

Fortunately, in the last 12 days of resistance of the Palestinian people, nations, countries and even many Islamic states came to power and supported the oppressed people, especially Palestinians in every possible way, he noted.

“This resistance to the Zionist attempts to seize Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla of the Muslims, and to counter the Judaization of A-Quds ended with the defeat of Tel Aviv and the Zionists’ demand for a ceasefire,” the official noted.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Iranian foreign minister highlighted the crucial role multilateralism plays in today’s world, saying the human community will not be able to survive unless it addresses the world’s issues collectively.

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Elaborating on the status of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Salehi said “There is a broad agreement among the international community that the JCPOA is a real turning point in the history of multilateralism as an important international achievement.”

“Against lifting of nuclear-related sanctions, Iran has accepted some provisional limitations on its nuclear program and provided unprecedented level of monitoring and access to the IAEA in the context of new commitment under the additional protocol and the JCPOA itself,” he said, adding, “In this regard it is noteworthy with only 3% of worldwide nuclear facilities, Iran has provided almost 20% of Agency’s accesses.”

“At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always made it clear that acquiring, producing, stockpiling, and eventually the used of weapons of mass destruction is neither legitimate under religious principles nor envisaged in Iran’s defense doctrine,” he stressed.

Salehi went on to say that despite verifications of the IAEA, US called the JCPOA as the worse deal of that country and withdraw from it, noting, “It is noteworthy that the US has developed all categories of weapon of mass destruction including nuclear weapons, and even used it against others.” Washington is also threatening some other countries with use of nukes, he said.

“Although the deal has been praised as an outstanding achievement of years of diplomatic efforts, respective states have failed to go beyond expressing regret for the violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231 by the US administration,” said Salehi.

“The outcome of the deal for us has turned into inhumane and illegal sanctions against our trade, economy and foreigners’ investments in clear contradiction with the provisions of the JCPOA and the UN Security resolution. Unfortunately such sanctions have also affected areas such as food, medicine, radiopharmaceutical products and even Iran’s nuclear regulatory authority.”

“It should be emphasized that the JCPOA is a multilateral deal, encompasses rights and responsibilities for all parties; therefore implementation of this deal by only one party is not a legitimate expectation nor a practical possibility.”

He went on to say that Iran showed ‘strategic patience’ for more than a year after US withdrawal from the deal “to allow the remaining parties to the deal to fulfill their commitments including compensation of the effects of this withdrawal.”

Salehi said that despite promises of other countries to save the agreement, “We are still far from realizing the basic objectives of the deal and meeting the legitimate demands of Iran. Hence there were no options for Iran other resorting to the relevant provisions of the JCPOA to seize partially its commitments in order to provide a new window diplomacy to preserve the deal.”

“It should be noted that Iran’s partial cessation of its commitments is reversible in case of full and effective implementation of JCPOA by the remaining parties to the deal,” highlighted the Iranian official.

“Preserving the deal is a common responsibility of all members of the international community and if the world fails to save the agreement, multilateralism will lose its effectiveness and any further peaceful resolution of the conflicts will be challenged.”

He also called on the international community to condemn US unilateral measures.

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Therefore, it is necessary to examine the causes of its failure and to work collectively for the formation of a neo-multilateralism approach, head of Iran’s Foreign Policy Strategic Council added.

In an era in which some countries consider violations of international law and withdrawal from international treaties as a means of fulfilling their own objectives and imposing their own interests on others by act of bullying, and even failing to respect the rights of their own allies, not only multilateralism is declining, but also it is on the path of destruction, Kharrazi warned.

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