Islamic Republic of Iran, absolute power in Muslim world

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is “an absolute power” in the region and the world of Islam.

Referring to scientific, technological, economic, cultural, and public hygiene levels as power indexes of a country, the Iranian foreign minister said that such important indicators are reflective of the fact that the “Islamic Republic has turned into an indisputable power” and that it is gradually establishing such clout at the global stage, IRNA reported Saturday.

Salehi, who was speaking in a live TV news show, pointed to the recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and said Iran’s trend of progress in the past 30 years as well as its significant achievements in various fields has set a model as a freedom-seeking and oppression-defying nation.

Responding to a question on Iran’s position regarding the developments in Bahrain, Salehi said, “We support the demands of the people of Bahrain just as we have supported the uprising of the people of Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen.”

He added that the Islamic Republic will continue to back the legitimate rights of the Bahrainis by taking into account “the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries.”

In recent months, a wave of revolutions and anti-government uprisings has swept the Arab world.

In January, a revolution in Tunisia ended the despotic rule of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In February, another revolution led to the ouster of the US-backed Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak following three decades of authoritarian rule.

Other uprisings have erupted in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain.

The Iranian foreign minister also expressed his pleasure over current developments in terms of renewing Iran-Egypt ties and described the prospects of Tehran-Cairo relations as “very promising, stable, and large-scale.”

Iran and Egypt have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.

Iran severed ties with Egypt after Cairo signed the 1978 Camp David Accords with Israel and offered asylum to Iran’s deposed monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Iran and Egypt have expressed readiness to resume talks following the ouster of Mubarak.