Calling for pushback against excessive American demands
By Ramin
Mehmanparast
Former ambassador of Iran
In today’s world, foreign policy does not just boil down to official government stances. Public diplomacy shapes global public opinion and can serve as a key complement to any country’s strategy. Western countries have been leaning on the media to shape public opinion across the globe, painting over unfavorable incidents as positive and peddling agendas that lack grounding in reality as desirable goals for the world to follow.
It is important to note that parliamentary diplomacy forms a vital part of public diplomacy. In the current international climate, it can carry exceptional weight and act as one of the most powerful tools for molding public opinion.
Members of the Iranian Parliament essentially represent all citizens of Iran. These lawmakers, as a non-governmental delegation representing the people, can lay out their positions on current global conditions, priorities in resolving crises, and shortcomings in the international arena.
The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva always presents a major opportunity to bring up issues concerning Iran and the wider world stage. One of today’s most pressing global matters is the situation in Gaza and Palestine. We are witnessing a new Holocaust carried out by Israeli criminals, who are driving defenseless Gazans toward genocide, and they do so openly without any shame.
The unequivocal policy of the Zionist regime is that “a good Palestinian is a dead Palestinian”. Backed by the US and President Trump, they aim to wipe out Gaza, turning it into a scorched land, forcing Gazans and Palestinians into migration, while expanding the occupied territories.
We have seen through US officials’ deception as they claimed to negotiate peacefully to resolve Iran’s nuclear activities through dialogue and democracy. Unfortunately, while Iran’s negotiation team was hammering out talks and preparing for the sixth round, Israel, backed by the US, struck our country.
This attack wiped out several military commanders, nuclear scientists, and over a thousand innocent Iranian civilians. This tragedy, this crime against Iran, and the Israeli oppression against our people, must be brought to light in international forums. The West, leveraging its illegitimate offspring — the Zionist regime — is pulling strings to advance its own agenda.
The world needs to wake up to the fact that the Iranian people, following the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, are willing to sacrifice their lives to preserve their independence. Their voices and sufferings must echo through global ears, and these crimes by the US, Israel, and some European countries must be firmly condemned in international forums.
Human rights, peace, and justice have serious gaps on the global stage. The notions of peace and justice, often cited by the West or international bodies, are little more than empty words with double standards. The UN General Assembly and Security Council have set up rules to promote justice, but these laws are routinely twisted by criminal powers to serve their own ends, leaving independent nations locked out of their rightful claims.
Forums like the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, where ideas are exchanged and cooperation sought, can help independent countries hammer out strategies to keep the international order afloat, aiming to ensure peace, security, and adherence to the UN Charter.
Iran officially conducts diplomacy through its president and foreign ministry, while its measures in parliamentary diplomacy have proven to be very timely and demonstrate the nation’s engagement in championing its core principles internationally. These efforts take the lead in highlighting the plight of the Palestinian and Gazan people. Iranian parliamentary diplomacy calls on other countries to stand up to the excessive demands of the US and the Zionist regime and to take concrete steps toward achieving global peace and justice.
Several parliamentary speakers in Geneva stressed ending the veto power and reforming UN procedures. The current international structure has shown its cracks. While the UN General Assembly can follow up on many issues and pass resolutions, there is no enforcement mechanism in place.
Global powers on the Security Council have carved out special privileges with the veto. This setup means that even when massive crimes are committed by these powers, a single veto can shut down any action to hold them accountable.
For these reasons, the current structure is ineffective and requires a fundamental overhaul. However, such change will only come when independent countries, backed by their public opinion and citizens, team up to build a new framework that guarantees peace and justice worldwide.
The full article first appeared in
Persian on IRNA.