Construction of Multipolar World Cannot Be Stopped, Iranian President Says

The Iranian president has repeatedly stated that Tehran focuses on the policy of multipolarity and sustainable integration with a view to establishing a fair international order based on mutual respect.

"The construction of a multipolar world cannot be stopped. There are already many centers of power outside the Western world," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at the General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, answering a question from a Sputnik correspondent.

He emphasized that only Western countries continue to impede the creation of a multipolar world, adding that a multipolar world, in particular, "is built with the help of regional organizations" such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

President Raisi also pointed out that Iran's influence in the world and the region will grow with cooperation with friends: "We are serious about developing relations with Russia and other countries."

He stressed that many nations sought freedom from the United States, noting that "Iran will continue to support freedom-loving peoples."

The United States, which he noted was behind the recent "miscalculated" protests in Iran, started using methods of information terrorism due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions.

"The United States has already understood that sanctions do not work. Therefore, it began to use other methods ... Information terrorism is the main problem," Raisi said.

It was only last week that the president reiterated his stance that Iran is focused on multipolarity and sustainable integration with an eye to establishing a fair international order based on mutual respect. Raisi has also said that the development of cooperation between Iran, China, Russia and the SCO members may lead to the emergence of a new force in the nascent multipolar world.

Addressing the sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the Iranian leader added that Tehran serves as a proof to the ineffectiveness of US military-political course and sanctions. According to Raisi, it is for this reason that Washington had to resort to destabilizing Iran.

Earlier this month, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the protests, which began on September 16 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who fell into a coma and died in hospital several days after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly, were planned by the United States and Israel.

While the mainstream media claimed that the young woman had been beaten into a coma by police, CCTV footage released by authorities appeared to show that Amini did not face any physical abuse while in custody.

According to a probe conducted for Iran’s parliament, Amini was not subjected to any bodily harm. Iran’s Legal Medical Organization also stated that the young woman's death was caused by cerebral hypoxia which resulted in hypotension and multiple organ failure. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has lambasted the US for meddling in Tehran's domestic affairs. Washington, in the meantime, has admitted to taking “aggressive steps” to support Iranians taking part in protests.