Pres. Rouhani: No power higher than people’s presence, resistance, devotion, unity

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Stating that today, national power must be paid attention to more than any time else, President said, "National power is a combination of cultural, economic, security and political powers and these four powers must interact with each other so that we can take the right path”.

Speaking on Wednesday at the session of the Council of Ministers, President Hassan Rouhani referred to the Supreme Leader’s remarks in this week’s Friday prayers and said, "The biggest power that God has put in our country is national and popular power and the people of Iran are our greatest power and there is no power higher than people’s resistance, presence, devotion and unity”.

“The enemies’ biggest fear is not from our economic, military and security power. They are terribly afraid of our popular and cultural power, because a nation that prepares itself for devotion and self-sacrifice and stands together in different incidents and problems, as it happened in the plane crash and martyrdom of our country’s great commander General Soleimani, enjoys massive power and becomes invincible,” said Rouhani.

He also stressed increasing the political power, saying, "The fact that today, our non-oil exports have increased means that our country’s economic power is under our non-oil export”.

The President went on to stress the development of tourism fields, adding, "Today, there are countries in the world whose income from tourism is as much as our oil revenues, and our country can have the highest incomes from tourism given its high security and environmental diversity”.

Emphasising that economic power is impossible without political power, Dr Rouhani said, "We cannot cut our relations and interaction with the world and at the same time gain economic power. If we want to increase our production, we need to have other markets”.

“If we do not have political power, this power will not be effective at the regional and global levels even if we can create economic power inside the country,” he said.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran said, "Economic power is achievable alongside political, cultural and security power and they are not separable. One has not understood the strategic matters with the world well if they think that these are separable”.

He continued, "There is no institution in our country that is selected without people’s vote, and all institutions and authorities get their legitimacy from people’s will”.

“A single faction or group’s satisfaction does not lead us somewhere; we need to take everybody’s satisfaction into consideration and work based on that,” he continued.

Dr Rouhani also added, "It is important that an overwhelming majority of people should attend the elections, or else, we could hold elections like some European countries in which 15-20 per cent of people attend the elections, but this is no what we want and we have never wanted people’s participation to be low in the elections”.

He added, "Everybody must know that there is no institution higher than people and the law. When the Supreme Leader orders us to become powerful, this power can be achieved through presence, hard work and interaction with the world”.

“Those who are sitting in the White House cannot decide for the Iranian nation. It is the people who decide in their house of faith, resistance and high spirits,” he said.



In another part of his speech, the president addressed the three “European friends”, urging them to be careful not to make any mistake, saying, "America made a grave mistake by withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and abandoning its commitments, which is a major moral, political, and legal mistake, not showing respect for international regulations and UN laws”.

Dr Rouhani said, "The United States also committed another great mistake by martyring our country's great commander, thinking that General Soleimani would be eradicated while no one would be killed by being martyred”.

"Do you want to make a mistake, too," he addressed the three European nations, emphasising that America would face the consequences of its mistake.

Dr Rouhani added, "You know we all have commitments in the nuclear agreement that we have to live up to,” saying that a government saying they do not want to live up to their commitments but the other side must is arrogance.

The President emphasised, "After the US withdrew from the deal, didn’t you give us eleven promises to live by it? Which one of them did you meet? Undoubtedly, faith, ethics, history and dignity are above automobile tariffs. One does not destroy his dignity because of tariffs!”

Dr Rouhani pointed out, "Now someone who has broken this promise thought he could defeat a nation by doing so. You know that the Iranian nation cannot be defeated by such actions, so why not fulfil your obligation?”

Addressing the European countries, the President reiterated, "We are in the JCPOA, we have not left it and we do not want to destroy it; we are committed to it, and we have reduced our commitments in accordance with the JCPOA. The day you return to your commitments, we will be committed as well the same day, and if you do not return, no matter how much you chant slogans and hold meetings and make threats, it is worthless”.

Dr Rouhani reiterated, "I emphasise to three European countries that if you violate a commitment, you are responsible for all its consequences".

The president emphasised that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and said, "Even if the JCPOA and the Safeguards are gone, whether our country's relations with the IAEA are good or bad, we will not seek nuclear weapons. This is based on our dear Leader’s fatwa and ethical commitments. But in the meantime, we also want to have good relations with you. If you live up to your commitments, we will too”.

Dr Rouhani said, "How is it that where you don't want to do something, you say you are weak, but you get powerful where you want to violate your commitments? Where you have to live up to your promise you become powerless and say America is pressurising and you can't and apologise to us, but how do you suddenly become powerful against the Iranian people? When you want to fulfil your obligations to the Iranian people, you say you are powerless”.

The President said, "I hope Europe fulfils its commitments, then we are also committed to our commitments”.

Dr Rouhani pointed out, "The government will continue to insist on what it has said to its nation that it has lived up to its commitments, but if one wishes to depart from its obligations, the consequences are also on the one who has departed from it”.

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