Speaking on Monday at an event titled “We and the West: A conference on Views and Thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei” at the IRIB International Conference Center, Larijani said, “Our understanding of our relationship with the West is now clearer than ever through the slogan ‘peace through power’ raised by the US. The West, especially America, pursues peace through power-seeking.”
He added that the West once claimed to rely on science and freedom of thought, but “the result was two world wars.” “Today, the West has made its path even clearer and tied global relations to power,” he said.
Larijani described the United States as the main force behind global instability, saying, “The current US president, with the slogan ‘peace through power,’ is in fact the main enemy of nations’ independence.”
He went on to say that the same policy that once led to wars in Iraq and other regions is now being repeated against Iran.
Citing the recent 12-day Israeli war of aggression, Larijani said Iran’s “national strength and the firmness of its armed forces” forced the enemy to retreat and end the conflict.
“Never before have the faces of America and the Zionist regime been so hated worldwide,” he added.
Larijani noted that Iran’s relations with the West have historically fluctuated, but the Islamic Republic has always sought balanced engagement.
“The basis of Iran’s policy has never been to sever trade ties with the West, but to safeguard national interests,” he said, emphasizing that Iran’s leaders “have never had inherent hostility toward the West.”
He hastened to add that the problem lies in the West’s “hegemonic behavior and interference in Iran’s internal affairs,” which have repeatedly caused crises.
“When the West, instead of respecting the Islamic Revolution, once again sought to create problems and crises for Iran, both domestically and internationally, it forced the Iranian nation to react,” he said.
Larijani also warned against cultural domination, saying the West uses technology to control minds and cultures. He quoted the late poet Allama Iqbal, lamenting that the West, with its Godless thought, has turned knowledge into sorcery.
Highlighting the need for solidarity at home, Larijani said, “Today, the Iranian nation expects politicians to value national will and not create divisions with unnecessary remarks.”
He concluded, “Iran speaks of national identity and real independence. It will neither seek domination nor trade away its sovereignty… If the West abandons its lust for control, conditions will change — otherwise, the US’s threats will never break the will of the Iranian nation.”
