‘World at Cusp of New Order’: Iran Speaker Ghalibaf Signals Shift Away from West

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday declared that the international arena is "at the cusp of a new order," asserting that the traditional dominance of Western powers is rapidly eroding.

Citing Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of historic global transformations, Ghalibaf stated that Iran's ongoing resistance has accelerated this geopolitical shift, adding that "the future belongs to the Global South."

In a post on X, he emphasised that Iran's recent "70-day resistance" against US and Israeli military and economic pressures has acted as a primary catalyst, shortening the timeline for this global paradigm shift.

"The world stands at the cusp of a new order. As President Xi said 'The transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the globe,' and I emphasize that the Iranian nation's 70-day resistance has accelerated this transformation. The future belongs to the Global South," Ghalibaf posted.

Ghalibaf's strategic invoking of President Xi is not a coincidence. It arrives at a highly volatile moment in global diplomacy, serving as a direct response to the broader geopolitical chess match playing out between Washington, Beijing, and Tehran.

How does the Xi-Trump Beijing summit shape the emerging global order narrative?

Crucially, Ghalibaf's remarks directly follow a high-stakes summit in Beijing where President Xi hosted President Trump. While Trump and Xi haggled over massive trade deals, tariffs, and the flashpoint issue of Taiwan, Iran watched closely.

During the meeting, Xi said, "The whole world is watching our meeting. Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe and the international situation is fluid and turbulent."

"The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations?" Xi added, while calling for greater stability and cooperation amid global uncertainty.

Xi, through his "Thucydides trap" remark, referred to the recent conflict in West Asia between the US and Iran.

The term, first popularised by Harvard scholar Graham T Allison, highlighted the intense structural tensions and increased risk of conflict that arise when an emerging power challenges the dominance of an existing global power.

Xi further highlighted the significance of ties between the two nations, noting that both countries stood to gain through cooperation and lose through confrontation.

"I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences. Success in one is an opportunity for the other. And a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world. China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," he stated.

(With inputs from ANI)