Speaking at the unveiling of the book “The World Ahead: Discourses on the Global Order”, Zarif said the current international system can no longer be described as clearly bipolar or multipolar.
He argued that the world has entered a “post-polar” phase in which power is fragmented across military, economic, and technological domains.
Referring to Venezuela, Zarif said the country’s experience demonstrated that loyalty does not work in today’s global system, noting that neither China nor Russia came to Caracas’s aid.
He added that a similar lesson was learned by Iran during the recent war with the US-Israeli coalition, when expectations of meaningful sacrifice or support from major powers proved misplaced.
Zarif also pointed to developments in the US, NATO, and transatlantic relations as evidence of shifting global dynamics, citing US positions on Ukraine and remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding Greenland.
According to Zarif, clinging to outdated, bloc-based views of the world leads to flawed analysis and conspiracy theories.
He stressed that Iran and other countries must adopt a new understanding of the international system to better anticipate global trends and protect their national interests.
