TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that Iran is an “influential actor” at the international scene.

“We should accept that we are influential actor and this self-esteem is not just a slogan, but is a reality in today’s world,” Zarif told the International Conference on Geopolitical Crises in the Islamic World hosted by Tehran.
 
“We in the Islamic Republic of Iran have accepted that we are influential element. I believe that the world of Islam should also accept this important fact,” he noted.

He also said a multiplicity of actors at the international arena is the main challenge.

The challenges are not exclusive to the Islamic world, the senior diplomat noted, adding the entire world is facing common challenges.

The actors have gone beyond governments, he said.

“The governments are not exclusive actors at the international arena anymore. You can turn into an actor at the international arena and not an economic actor but an actor who can establish security or undermine it. This is an important characteristic of the international arena which can be very important for us in our relations with the world of Islam and beyond it,” the chief diplomat stated.

Zarif said that geography of the Islamic world is “global” because the Islamic world is present at every corner of the world and this can be both a “challenge” and an “opportunity”.

The foreign minister went on to say that the Zionist regime of Israel is the main challenge to the Islamic countries.

However, he said, many governments in the Middle East region have failed to fulfil their duties and in fact proven incapable in countering Israel.

NA/PA