TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, has denounced Washington’s notion of “peace through power,” saying it amounts to “submission to the United States rather than real peace.”

“The world does not accept the American idea of peace through power,” Nasirzadeh said, adding that freedom-seeking and developing nations have long rejected such coercive approaches.

The Iranian defense chief paid an official visit to Ankara last Wednesday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Ya?ar Güler — a trip marking the first of its kind in years. The visit, which came amid rapid regional changes in recent months, underscored growing cooperation between the two neighbors on defense and security issues.

During his two-day trip, Nasirzadeh held talks with senior Turkish officials, including the Chief of the General Staff, on expanding defense relations, joint counterterrorism efforts, and strengthening border security.

“Turkey is one of our most important neighbors, and both countries play influential roles in the Islamic world and regional equations,” he said in an interview with IRIB News in Ankara. “Our coordination is essential for maintaining peace and stability in the region.”

Nasirzadeh said the two sides discussed a wide range of regional issues, including developments in Syria, the Caucasus, and threats posed by the Israeli regime.

“The Zionist regime respects no international law and has no red lines,” he stated. “Its actions have created a shared understanding among regional countries that it is a real threat, and cooperation is needed to counter it.”

He noted that this convergence among regional states represents “a major achievement born from the Zionist regime’s reckless behavior.”

Nasirzadeh also invited Turkey’s defense minister to visit Tehran and announced that both sides had agreed to maintain high-level exchanges between military delegations. “Our commonalities are far greater than our differences,” he added.

Commenting on recent U.S. military deployments in the region, Nasirzadeh said Washington’s claim of promoting “peace through power” is simply an attempt to impose its will on others.

“This concept has existed since President George H.W. Bush declared a unipolar world order led by the U.S.,” he said. “It’s not new — but today they express it more openly. They say, ‘We have power, and you must submit.’ That is not peace; it’s coercion. The world will never accept that.”

Addressing concerns over increased U.S. military presence in the region, Nasirzadeh said such movements are not unprecedented and are part of long-standing psychological tactics.

“For decades, we’ve seen them move fleets in and out. As a military force, we must always be prepared to defend our country — that’s a principle — but society should not be influenced by their psychological warfare,” he said.

He described the current global situation as a “hybrid war” combining military and psychological fronts, with the cognitive dimension now playing a bigger role.

“When they repeatedly say ‘an attack is imminent,’ their goal is to disrupt society, increase inflation, and destabilize the economy,” he warned. “People must be alert to this cognitive war. If conflict is imposed on us, we are ready to defend, as we did during the 12-day war when we forced the enemy to accept a ceasefire.”

Referring to the Zionist regime’s attack on the Global Convoy of Steadfastness and seizure of aid ships bound for Gaza, the minister said the move once again revealed Israel’s disregard for international law.

“Since World War II, numerous international regulations have been enacted under the UN system, but the Zionist regime has violated all of them in recent years, fully backed by the U.S.,” he said. “Even after the International Court of Justice condemned Netanyahu, Washington went as far as to sanction the court itself.”

He added that the convoy symbolized the international community’s will to confront genocide and the starvation of Gaza’s civilians, yet Israel attacked it without restraint.

“The world now clearly understands the threat posed by this regime,” Nasirzadeh said. “People are increasingly aware, and we will continue to witness anti-Zionist movements across the globe.”