TEHRAN – A West Asia analyst has said Iran can define a new mechanism in the world without a need for Western countries by developing scientific, economic, social, defense, security, and cultural cooperation with East Asian countries.

“The world is not just limited to Western countries and the future of the world economy is moving towards East Asia, therefore I personally believe that our strategy for working with the East in the fields of politics, economy, security, and military affairs is a fundamental and long-lasting one,” Mansour Haghighatpour said in an interview with Mehr published on Monday.

Haghighatpour, a former member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, further pointed to Iran’s relations with Russia regarding political and security issues in the region, saying the Islamic Republic can also expand a similar cooperation with China.

By attracting one to two million Chinese tourists to the country, Iran can improve many domestic industries, he added.

He said, “The world is very big. The world is not limited to the West. Those who are inclined to the West are mistaken.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Haghighatpour said the victory of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rival in the November elections would not be a positive development for Iran.

“We have been hit by both the Democrats and Republicans,” he added.

The 2020 U.S. presidential election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. It will be the 59th quadrennial presidential election. Voters will select presidential electors who in turn will vote on December 14, 2020, to either elect a new president and vice president or reelect the incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence respectively. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee when Senator Bernie Sanders, the only other remaining major candidate in the Democratic primary, suspended his campaign on April 8, 2020. In early June, Biden passed the threshold of 1,991 delegates to gain the nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

MH/PA