Era of hegemony over: Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the era of world powers’ hegemony has come to an end.

As long as there is diversity of actors and understanding, no hegemony will emerge, Zarif said in an address to the International Conference on Regional Security Order in West Asia in Tehran on Sunday.

He added that the United States has waged numerous wars under the illusion of capacity to become a hegemonic power.

“This illusion of hegemony has cost [the US] billions of dollars and failed to bear any result,” the Iranian minister said.

He emphasized that the West Asia region would be one of the main sites for the development of the future international order, saying, “What will happen in West Asia will have a considerable impact on the future international order.”

He added that all shifts in the international order previously originated in the West but in the present world things have changed.

Zarif further said “common understanding” is the first and foremost challenge in the region and across the world and warned that a false understanding of the “fast and fundamental” developments would lead to the destruction of countries.

“The second challenge and opportunity is the diversity of power resources, so much so that it has exceeded material resources,” the top Iranian diplomat said.

This does not mean that military prowess is the sole influential source of power, but spiritual might also plays a prominent role in this regard, he added.

He also said that governments no longer enjoy a monopoly over developments but non-governmental players are also engaged in areas such as security issues.

Zarif stressed the importance of paying heed to regional issues in order to create a “favorable order” and said regional security must only be established by countries in the region and not foreign states.

“Security in our region requires cooperation among regional countries,” he pointed out.

The day-long security conference where Zarif was making his remarks kicked off in the Iranian capital on Sunday with a speech by Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and in the presence of senior foreign experts in the area of regional security.

The event is aimed at providing a close analysis of the situation in West Asia as well as discussing initiatives aimed at boosting decision-making and consensus-building on the future security order in the troubled Middle East region.