Araghchi made the remarks at the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the BRICS Member States held in New Delhi on May 14.
“To virtually everyone in this room, our resistance against U.S. bullying is not an unfamiliar battle,” he said.
“So many of us encounter slight variations of the same repugnant coercion,” the official added.
The top diplomat noted, “It is high time for us to jointly step up and work towards making clear that those practices belong in the dustbin of history.”
The full text of Araghchi’s speech is as follows:
His Excellency Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Honorable Minister of External Affairs of India,
Honorable Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BRICS Member States,
Distinguished Representatives, Esteemed Colleagues,
As you have all witnessed, my country has within the span of less than a year twice been subjected to brutal and unlawful aggression by the United States and Israel.
The attacks on my people have been justified with false claims that run counter to the informed assessments of the International Atomic Energy Agency and even America’s own intelligence community. The truth is that Iran—like many other independent nations—is the victim of illegal expansionism and warmongering. These are ugly things which have no place in today’s world. Those who pursue reckless adventures may believe it furthers their geopolitical interests. But as consumers and governments around the world now sense and understand, regional instability is a lose-lose proposition for all sides—including the aggressors.
In the face of horrific violence, the Iranian people have firmly and proudly stood up for themselves. Did we retreat from our ideal of independence? Did we surrender to the will and whims of imperial power? The answer is clear: we did not, and never will.
I come from an ancient land whose leaders have stood courageously by their people in the pursuit of justice, independence, and the defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity, sacrificing their lives for historic and national ideals.
I speak for an Iran whose armed forces, medical personnel, schoolteachers, and law enforcement officers never once placed their own safety above saving the lives of those they are duty bound to protect, and served with honor on the front line of humanity.
I speak for a people which, under horrific bombardment, chose to stand firm; for the mothers of Minab who did not bend under the grief of losing their children; for young people who refuse to let the dust of war erase their bright futures; and for a nation that, despite all pressures, continues to believe in a free, stable, and just world.
By now, it ought to be clear that Iran is unbreakable and only emerges stronger and more united when under pressure. While ready to fight with everything we have in defense of our freedom and our soil, we are equally ready to pursue and defend diplomacy.
As I have repeatedly stated, there is no such thing as a military solution to anything related to Iran. We Iranians never bow to any pressure or threat, but we reciprocate the language of respect. As much as our powerful armed forces remain ready to exact devastating retribution on foreign aggressors, my people are peace-loving and do not seek war. We are not the aggressor in this sordid situation, but the aggrieved.
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Colleagues,
Over the past year, I have had the honor of participating in two BRICS conferences to convey the Government of Iran’s conviction that this platform symbolizes the emergence of a new global order—an order in which the Global South is a primary architect of the world’s future. What was once a lofty aspiration is now a reality. But it is a fragile reality. Imperial power in decline wants to turn back the clock, and is desperately lashing out on its way down.
This all matters to the BRICS+ group of countries because the battle Iran has fought is in defense of all of us—of the new world that we are building together. Our brave soldiers have given their lives to resist Western hegemony and the sense of impunity that the U.S. believes it is entitled to. While Iran is grateful for the support and solidarity it has received from BRICS countries, it is imperative that we jointly step up our work towards ending this sense of entitlement, which has no place in today’s world.
To virtually everyone in this room, our resistance against U.S. bullying is not an unfamiliar battle. So many of us encounter slight variations of the same repugnant coercion. It is high time for us to jointly step up and work towards making clear that those practices belong in the dustbin of history.
Today, our nations are closer to one another than ever before, and we cannot ignore the common and dangerous challenge we all face. History has shown that Empires in decline will stop at nothing to arrest their inevitable fates. A wounded animal will desperately claw and roar on its way down. The putting away of all pretenses is apparent in the horrors that the West has shamelessly underwritten or outright pursued in the Global South, whether in Asia or Africa or Latin America. What was once framed as unthinkable and decidedly shameful is now either overlooked or openly embraced in Western capitals: horrific genocide, shocking violations of the sovereignty of nations, and outright state piracy on the high seas. These crimes, and the Western silence they are met with, can only take place if there is a sense of impunity. That false sense of entitlement must be shattered, by all of us.
Iran therefore calls upon BRICS member states and all responsible members of the international community to explicitly condemn violations of international law by the United States and Israel, including their illegal aggression against Iran; prevent the politicization of international institutions; and take concrete action to halt warmongering and to bring an end to the impunity of those who violate the UN Charter.
We believe that BRICS can—and must—become one of the principal pillars in shaping a more just, balanced, and humane global order; an order in which might can never make right.
Nations which stand up for their dignity and independence may endure hardship, but they will never be defeated.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your attention.