Washington:Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute in Washington, D.C., believes the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States are primarily due to a competition for regional power and dominance rather than ideological differences.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Parsi discussed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent remarks in Greece targeting Iran, as well as President Donald Trump's threats and Washington's confrontational policies. He noted that during the Cold War, US dissatisfaction with Iran's independent policies was tempered by its rivalry with the Soviet Union. However, post-Cold War, the US sought military dominance in the Persian Gulf, intensifying the struggle for power in the Middle East.

Parsi emphasized that the true nature of the confrontation has become more evident over time, suggesting that it would be naive to think Washington's motivations were aimed at supporting the Iranian people. He also highlighted the issue of naval blockades and expanded sanctions against Iran, questioning their compliance with international humanitarian law due to their impact on access to essential resources like food and medicine. Parsi argued that such sanctions, aimed at impoverishing the population, could be considered war crimes.

He criticized the actions of Israel and the United States for undermining international humanitarian law and expressed skepticism about the international community taking meaningful action to stop Washington's policies. However, Parsi noted that China might have the potential to prevent further escalation, although he warned that the opportunity for such intervention was diminishing rapidly.