LONDON: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi used an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to launch a tirade against US foreign policy and promote the emergence of a new world order.
He said American foreign policy over the past century had proved that the “unilateralist” approach was one in which the US had pursued self-interest at the expense of partnerships.
“What is happening in Europe today has been seen all over the world before. The fate of many countries shows America pursues its own interests against the interests of its allies,” he added.
“Unilateralism has been the tool to hold many countries back. On a selective basis, America cannot be allowed to determine which countries have the right to stand on their own two feet because even friends of America do not benefit from this.”
Raisi claimed that Daesh was a US construct, slamming what he contended was the hypocrisy of a country claiming a base in justice and humanity.
“For a country that wishes to have justice but then creates and trains these terrorist organizations to unleash on others, that is a shame,” he added. “Humanity does not only belong to certain parts of the world.”
Raisi did not raise the issue of Iran’s use of proxy forces in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
He suggested that having fought against Daesh, Iran had proved that it was on the side of human rights — ignoring current protests raging in his country over its poor record in this regard.
Raisi claimed that US hegemony is coming to an end, saying: “This order has lost its power, and a new order is shaping up to tackle it as this old system’s policies are defeated.
“We are witnessing a change of the world order, a world order of hegemony in which financial power gains a control over ‘standards’ of human behavior which are used to subjugate. This is coming to an end.”