Tehran / PNN /

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that his country believes in a discourse based on international rules, dialogue, and peace, and is ready to cooperate in this regard. He described U.S. hegemonic policies as effectively a return to the “law of the jungle,” where one must be strong to defend oneself.

Speaking at the opening of the international conference “International Law Under Attack: Aggression and Defense” in Tehran on Sunday, Araqchi said: “International law is under attack, the world faces profound challenges, concerning trends, worrying approaches, and unprecedented strategic transformations at all levels.”

He added, “The solid foundations of international law have faced unprecedented assaults by the very powers expected to protect them, who have long professed to shape the post-World War II international order.”

Araqchi continued, “Violence and war have practically become a new standard in international relations, and the use of military means has become the default to advance the foreign policy objectives of certain states.”

He noted, “We are witnessing an attempt to build an ‘international order based on power’ by the United States and some of its allies,” pointing out that former U.S. President Donald Trump came to the White House with a ‘peace through strength’ doctrine, which, in essence, served as a cover for a new framework: ‘dominance through force.’

Araqchi emphasized that Trump made it clear that America no longer wishes to act based on legitimate political considerations under international law, but rather seeks to win and dominate, effectively returning to the law of the jungle. “In this jungle created by the U.S., there is no law; one must be strong to defend oneself,” he stressed.

He added that this excessive militarization has led to wide-ranging geopolitical fractures, increasing great power rivalry, development of missiles and nuclear arsenals, cross-border conflicts, declining economic and cultural integration, and the marginalization of diplomacy.

According to Araqchi, the “Tel Aviv regime” acts as a proxy and subordinate to the United States in West Asia, aiming to realize its unlimited and dangerous geopolitical ambitions by attacking the clearest foundations of international law.

He concluded by asserting that Israel continues to commit “the most heinous crimes against humanity—killings, assassinations, genocide, and ethnic cleansing—backed by a blank check from Washington and some European countries, relying on billions of dollars in NATO and Western military aid and the immunity they provide in international forums.