Iran’s Defense Minister Calls for New World Order to Counter U.S.-led “Global Fascism”

The Iranian defense minister has called for establishing a new multi-polar world order to tackle international security threats and counter U.S.-led “hegemonic” ambitions in East Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. “Americans are trying to present a new form of global fascism with a new doctrine and a policy of commercialization of security to guarantee their future role in the international system,” Brigadier General Hossien Dehghan said earlier today addressing the 6th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS).

“The results of this [U.S.] policy are fabricated threats and coordinated action with its regional and trans-regional allies to threaten others, especially the countries of Russia, China and Iran,” he continued. He emphasized that “the only solution is to transition into a new [international] order based on multi-polar system” that should counter “the US belligerent strategies and destructive interference,” end “supports for terrorists by the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other supporters”, “recognize the Palestinian nation’s historic right to return to the occupied territories and allow them to decide their fate,” and have the “leading players and major providers of peace and security safeguard and support the continuation of democracy.”

He claimed that Iran and Russia are the only foreign powers that truly fight terrorism in Syria and denounced the recent retaliatory U.S. missile strikes against a Syrian air base. He cautioned the Trump administration that its efforts to counter Iran’s influence in the region will fail the same as the Bush and Obama administrations’ “repeated defeats in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.”

Dehqan concluded his speech by reiterating that Iran will remain committed to the nuclear agreement it signed with world powers in July 2015, but emphasized that the Islamic Republic would vigorously respond to American threats. He said the U.S. rhetoric of “all options are on the table” is “ludicrous and repetitious” and cannot be used to seek political and military concessions from Tehran.

Comment: The two-day 6th Moscow Conference on International Security “Global Security: Challenges of the 21st Century” started on Wednesday. Key issues on the agenda include terrorism, European security, Russia-NATO relations, cyber security, U.S. ballistic missile defense posture in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and security and political issues in Syria and Afghanistan. According to Iranian and Russia media outlets, the conference is attended by defense ministers and senior representatives from 86 countries and international organizations such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and Collective Security Treaty Organization, among others. Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Head of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov attended the opening of the conference.

Dehqan, who is heading the Iranian delegation to the summit, is also scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart Shoygu to discuss ways of further boosting bilateral defense ties as well as cooperation in Syria. The defense ministers of Syria, Iran and Russia will hold a separate trilateral meeting to evaluate the latest developments in the Syrian war. Dehqan has reportedly also held meetings today with the defense ministers of Brazil, India, Serbia and Venezuela on the sidelines of the Moscow conference.

The Iranian defense minister's strong anti-American remarks also come at a time when the Trump administration has stepped up efforts to push back against Iran’s controversial ballistic missile program and support for terrorism in the Middle East. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also announced that the administration was conducting an inter-agency review of the Iran nuclear deal – prompting an angry reaction from Tehran. As tension between Washington and Moscow is escalating, Iranian leaders are also trying to exploit the situation to bolster its ties with Moscow and prolong Russia’s military engagement in Syria.