TEHRAN — As a military entity that claims it wants to establish sustainable security in the world, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO is seemingly seeking to spread its influence all around the world.

The recent developments in the global community have raised questions about the true intentions of NATO. Russians are adamant that NATO is looking to expand itself in the realm of the former Soviet Union.

In an interview with the khamenei.ir published on Wednesday, Mehdi Safari, the former Iranian ambassador to Moscow noted that the danger of NATO’s expansionist policy is not only directed towards Russia, but also towards Iran and other countries. 

“NATO is trying to reach the Eurasian region. This means that it even wants to cross the Caspian Sea and be present in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. As we have seen, NATO was present in Afghanistan for several years and did not succeed there,” Safari noted. 

In a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Tehran on June 19, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the Ukraine war and said the main problem is that “the Westerners want to expand NATO, and they will not hesitate to expand their influence wherever they can.”

During the Libyan civil war and the efforts of the opponents of the Gaddafi regime, NATO bombarded the cities of this North African country in an interventionist move by declaring a no-fly zone over Libya, and NATO's military operations continued until the fall of Gaddafi and his death. 

With the fall of Gaddafi and the end of NATO operations, Libya became a fragmented, poor and insecure country, and now there is a power struggle in this country, as well as the lack of an effective government. Even ISIS has dominated parts of Libya since the fall of Gaddafi.

During these years, NATO not only has not prevented breakout of wars, but has been constantly present in many wars and has actually played a role in the insecurity of the West Asian region.

Therefore, the expansion of NATO is a threat to global peace and security and the independence of countries, and Iran has repeatedly expressed its opposition to this military pact.

In a meeting with the Polish foreign minister in Tehran on May 8, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said, “Just as the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes conflict and war, it also declares its strong opposition to NATO's expansionist policies.”