Tehran: Former Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad-Javad Zarif has declared that the United States’ dominance as a global power has failed. Zarif shared his insights during the First International Conference on European and American Studies at the Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, held on June 9-10.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Zarif emphasized that the world is not unipolar post-Cold War but is undergoing a significant global transformation. He noted that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was not a victory for the West but a defeat for the East, challenging the common interpretation that it signaled a triumph for liberal democracy. Zarif argued that the U.S. mistook this as a victory, leading to military policies that ended in failure.

Zarif elaborated on the U.S. approach from 1991 to 2006, highlighting how military intervention was destined to fail. Although the U.S. remains a significant power, its international hegemony has faltered. He pointed out that in the realm of international norm-setting, the U.S. has often lost influence to European actors, citing the International Criminal Court and European reactions to the Palestinian issue as examples.

He also mentioned that European influence has waned due to its alignment with the Israeli regime. Zarif stressed that understanding both Europe and the U.S. is vital for Iran’s foreign relations, suggesting that the conference could aid in comprehending global interactions better.