Iran's president-elect embraces East and attacks West in ‘message to new world’

Iran’s president-elect set out his government’s foreign policy in an open letter to the world Friday, praising the eastern powers and attacking the west, only a day after NATO concluded its summit with unequivocal criticism of China, Russia and Iran.

Masoud Pezeshkian’s letter, published in English in the Iranian state-run daily Tehran Times, is yet another sign of Iran’s firm embracing of Russia and China, despite the president-elect’s claim that his government would be committed to pursue “constructive engagement” with all the world’s countries but Israel.

“China and Russia have consistently stood by us during challenging times,” Pezeshkian wrote in his piece titled A Message to the New World. “We look forward to collaborating more extensively with Beijing as we advance towards a new global order… and my administration will remain committed to expanding and enhancing our cooperation [with Russia].”

Iran has been tilting eastward for many years now, having moved on from its original mantra of “Neither East Nor West,” put forward by the Islamic Republic’s first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, right after the Revolution in 1979. The eastward tilt reached an unprecedented pace when Iran began arming Russia with kamikaze drones that have since been used to hit targets in Ukraine.

In contrast to his expression of gratitude to Russia and China, Pezeshkian’s letter shows little warmth towards the west. He blames the United States and Europe for inflicting “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage” to Iran’s economy, and “untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people,” mainly through sanctions that have been tightening steadily, ever since the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.

“The US and its Western allies, not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world,but also seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by showing that the costs of adhering to the tenets of the non-proliferation regime could outweigh the benefits it may offer,” Pezeshkian writes, accusing the western powers of “abusing” the NPT and “fabricating” a crisis over Iran’s nuclear activity.

For more than two decades now, Iranian administrations have been claiming that the country’s nuclear program is “purely civilian.” Expert opinion, however, including that of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), is unanimous that Iran’s highly-enriched uranium cannot be explained in the absence of a weapons program. The IAEA has been pushing Iran for years to gain more extensive access to its sites, but Iran has not only denied this request, but has limited IAEA inspection in retaliation for the US withdrawal of the nuclear deal.

It is unclear if the ‘moderate’ Pezeshkian would hold enough sway to attempt a de-escalation of the nuclear crisis –or a revival of the deal, which he has promised Iranian voters to pursue. Judging by his tone in the Message to the New World, Iran’s relationship with the west is as likely to improve as it is to escalate.

“I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries,” Iran’s president-elect says, following with a warning line that the Europeans “should realize” that Iranians’ rights and dignity “can no longer be overlooked”. But the harshest message is expectedly reserved for the US. “The United States also needs to recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not—and will not—respond to pressure.”

Pezeshkian’s message “to the new world” follows the letter he published in Arabic Wednesday, where he addressed Iran’s neighbors, calling for cooperation and a united front against the “monopoly of certain forces over world decision.” The regional charm offensive is repeated in the president-elect’s second letter.

“Under my administration, we will prioritize strengthening relations with our neighbors. We will champion the establishment of a strong region rather than one where a single country pursues hegemony and dominance over the others,” Pezeshkian says. “I firmly believe that neighboring and brotherly nations should not waste their valuable resources on erosive competitions, arms races, or the unwarranted containment of each other.”