TEHRAN, February 17 (MNA) – A Stockholm-based researcher has told Mehr that the recently-signed Iran and Russia strategic partnership agreement is an important step that represents growing integration among the countries in the Global South.Mehr reached out to Greg Simons, a researcher based in Sweden for an interview about the recent Iran-Russia strategic partnership agreement, a summary of which is as follows:
He further described the agreement as a brake to not just passively accept the US-led economic warfare.
The strategic deak represents an attempt to show to other countries who wish to be subjects rather than objects of the US and international relations.
Of course, what Iran and Russia want to show to the other countries is that you have to be united against the collective West.
Because you have more capability and capacity to overcome the effect of this economic warfare, he said.
They want to show to the rest of the world a far more just system is possible, according to Simons.
In response to a question about the impact of the agreement between Russia and Iran on the future negotiations between Iran and the Europeans, the professor said that the Europeans are just unable to do much against the United States as they have no capabilities and are undergoing severe economic crises and other forms of crises.
Simons further noted that the Europeans are completely subordinate to Washington’s dictates and geostrategic initiatives.
“No one of the European countries voiced their concern and did anything about the canceling of Iran nuclear deal.
You can see how the Europeans behaved in terms of supporting and enabling genocide and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in Gaza.
There was no condemnation of the Israeli military against Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen as well on the part of the Europeans,” he noted.
In response to the question how the agreement is going to influence Iran’s status and role in other institutions and cooperation agreements like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union and BRICS, the researhcer said that the agreement enables greater integration with those institutions of the Global South.
He added that the Global South’s institutions are different from the institutions in the Global North which are exclusive.
He explained more that the Global South’s institutions like BRICS are inclusive.
And, finally, in response to the question whether Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the possible broadened transatlantic gap will benefit countries like Iran and Russia, he said that Trump is more honest and open but what he says is allowed.
Simons said that the US will not change its approach under Trump as it has been always like that.
He added that the US is playing a zero-sum game and always follows that at the expense of other countries.
“The US is playing the zero-sum game not only against its enemies and competitors but also against its allies,” he said.
He continued to note that Trump’s vulgar remarks are an open demonstration of the US playing a zero-sum game.
He said that Trump’s open honesty will accelerate the process in the Global South.
“Look at what happened in the last years with the UAE and Saudi Arabia that are moving away from this US dominance to something more balanced, One can only see a greater movement towards that.
Of course, it is gonna strengthen the positions of Russia, China and I think Iran also.
The Europeans are being shown for what they are.” “The world increasing, the Global South does not want to be an object.
They want to be sovereign.
They want to be a subject, especially during this turbulent period, where you have the transformation of the global order moving away from the Global North towards the Global South,” the Stockholm-based researcher concluded.
KI