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Iran must grow stronger to defend itself in 'jungle' created by US: FM

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 16 November 2025 10:19 AM

Iran's foreign minister has censured the United States for initiating an arms race across the world by its naked use of force and violations of international law, saying there is no choice but to grow strong in the "jungle" created by Washington.

Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in an address to an international conference, entitled "International Law Under Attack: Aggression and Defense," held by the Institute for Political and International Studies in Tehran on Sunday.

He said that US President Donald Trump came to the White House with the doctrine of "peace through strength," which turned out to be a code for "hegemony through force."

He also noted that the manifesto of a hegemonic America, which is "a return to the law of the jungle," includes the renaming of the US Secretary of Defense to the Secretary of War and the testing of nuclear weapons.

"A president who styles himself as the president of peace arbitrarily attacks wherever he pleases without reason or justification, orders the evacuation of cities, demands unconditional surrender, and violates and rips all international laws, even the commitments of his predecessors," he added.

The recent unprecedented increase in the world's military budget "will yield only one outcome: more widespread war, violence, and tension. And for good reason: in the jungle that the US has created, there is no law, and to defend oneself, one must be strong."

The top Iranian diplomat also described Israel as an agent and appendage of the United States in West Asia, warning that the regime pursues its boundless and dangerous geopolitical ambitions by attacking the most fundamental principles of international law.

"This regime, relying on a blank check from Washington and some European states, and emboldened by billions of dollars in NATO and Western weapons and military equipment, and the immunity they have created for it in international forums, has committed and continues to commit the most heinous of crimes against humanity, mass killings, murder, genocide, and ethnic cleansing," he said.

Also in his remarks, Araghchi warned that no country in West Asia is safe from Israel's military and security aspirations as the usurping regime has attacked seven countries in the past two years, and occupied new areas in the region in addition to Palestine.

Referring to illegal Israeli-US aggression against Iran in June, he said Tel Aviv launched the assault before the sixth round of indirect Iran-US nuclear talks in Muscat, against the possibility of reaching an agreement through peaceful means.

"The truth is that when the Israeli regime attacked Iran on June 13, under the order and guidance of the President of the United States, the first bombs were fired at the negotiating table between Iran and the United States—negotiations of which five rounds had been held, with the sixth round slated for two days later, the 15th of June," he stated. "Diplomacy was the first victim of the 12-day war."

Additionally, Araghchi emphasized that the Israeli-US aggression against Iran, the martyrdom of a number of civilians, the assassination of commanders in their residences, and the targeting of peaceful nuclear facilities not only violated international law and the UN Charter but also constituted an all-out assault on the safeguards and non-proliferation regime.

The Islamic Republic, he added, exercised its right of legitimate defense, and not only stopped the aggressors but also, with the severe blows it dealt them, demonstrated that in times of war the peace-loving nation stands firm to the end and makes the aggressor regret its actions.

"Everyone witnessed how, within nine days, the message of 'unconditional surrender' changed to that of a request for an 'unconditional ceasefire,' and the initial illusions about the Iranian nation and establishment faded out," he said.

'Requests for talks with Iran resumed'

Also speaking in an expert panel at the conference, the Iranian foreign minister stressed that Israel and the United States failed to achieve any of their objectives in the 12-day war and faced defeat.

He said that aerial bombardment can destroy facilities, but not technology and the will of nations.

"Requests for negotiations have now resumed, which is natural, since they (Israel and the US) did not achieve their goals regarding Iran's nuclear program through military action. This is exactly what we have always said: Iran's nuclear issue has no military solution. They tried it and realized it is not the right path," he pointed out.

Moreover, Araghchi said that the first step in diplomacy is to recognize that dialogue differs from dictation and coercion, reiterating that negotiations should be grounded in reason and logic and conducted seriously.