WANA (Oct 16) – At the Astana Think Tank Forum 2025 held in Kazakhstan, Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), stated that “Israel, as the main proxy of the United States in the region, is not pursuing peace but striving to maintain absolute dominance over the entire Middle East.”

 

Foreign Policy Desk, Khatibzadeh delivered his remarks during the opening panel alongside Yerzhan Ashikbayev, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, and prominent think-tank representatives from China and Canada. He emphasized the importance of dialogue among international research centers in shaping a shared understanding of global challenges and fostering regional cooperation.

 

Discussing the current global order, Khatibzadeh noted: “The structure of the international system is undergoing a fundamental transformation and has reached a new level of unpredictability, creating a perilous situation.”

 

He described U.S. foreign policy as “hegemony disguised as a peace agenda,” adding: “The United States promotes its dominance under the slogan of ‘peace through strength,’ which in reality represents sheer coercion.”

 

Khatibzadeh further criticized Israel’s regional approach: “Israel, as Washington’s key proxy in the Middle East, is not seeking peace but rather the consolidation of absolute superiority over the entire region. As a result, the fundamental principles of the United Nations and international law have been severely undermined.”

 

He also pointed to a pattern of aggression and impunity: “The U.S. and Israel’s aggressive attacks, ethnic cleansing, and acts of genocide in Gaza—as well as their military involvement in eight Middle Eastern countries—are clear examples of this ongoing defiance of law and multilateral norms.”

 

Concluding his remarks, the Iranian diplomat accused Washington of double standards: “The United States used to accuse countries such as Iran, Russia, and China of revisionism in the global order. Yet today, it is the U.S. itself that has become the most revisionist power, undermining international stability and putting global peace at risk.”