The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the west has taken advantage of the situation in Ukraine to pave the way for further expansion of NATO.

Concerning the issue of #Ukraine, the main problem is that the West is seeking to expand #NATO wherever they can without taking anything into consideration.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 19, 2022

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting on 19 June in a meeting with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Tehran.

“In the case of Ukraine,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, “the main problem is that the west intends to expand NATO and they will lose no time in further expanding their influence wherever they can.”

“Various issues must be painstakingly monitored and [we] must be careful because the Americans and the west always seek to extend the scope of their influence in different regions, including in East and West Asia, and scuttle the independence and power of other countries [in those regions],” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

Iran’s leader emphasized the cultural and historical ties between Tehran and Nur-Sultan, highlighting the need for the expansion of bilateral ties between the two nations, given the instability of the region.

He also called for an increase in coordination between both nations, emphasizing the need to activate joint commissions between both governments.

Iran’s diplomatic approach is accredited to its foreign policy, with Iran’s president claiming their administration is built on balance, while implicitly condemning previous “look west” policies that have “caused imbalance in the country.”