Pres. Rouhani: Iranian nation won’t beg, yield to enemies

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Stating that Phase 1 of the Tehran-North Freeway has been built during sanctions by Iranian engineers, President said, "We are proud of our engineers, workers and managers”.

Speaking on Tuesday at ceremony for official operation of Tehran-North Freeway, Dr Rouhani said, "The people of Iran will not beg and yield to the enemies and sanctions have not been able to affect the will of Iranian engineers, workers and managers for completing the important Tehran-North Freeway project”.

He continued, "All revenues received from Phase 1 will be spent for the construction of the second phase and one route of the second phase is expected to be put to operation until the end of the government’s term of office”.

Parts of President Hassan Rouhani’s speech are as follows:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Congratulations on Rajab month and Imam Baqir’s (AS) birthday. Islam is the religion of spiritual and physical health. Wherever there is a believer there is security beside him; and where there is no faith security is under question.

The month of Rajab is a very blessed month. We would have liked to have this opening yesterday or today. Yesterday was Engineer’s Day, which was a special day, and respecting all engineers, workers and managers in this very important project is essential.

Today is a very happy day for the great Iranian people. We practically built this project during the sanctions, and we are proud that the sanctions did not affect the will of our engineers, workers and managers and all sections of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, Mostazafan Foundation of all those involved in completing this crucial project.

Of course, sanctions may have naturally caused delays in our scheduling, but important projects have never stopped.

You see, our government took office in 2013 when we were under tough sanctions; sanctions that had started since 2011 and 2012.

From the first days of my presidency, I called Mr Forouzandeh, who was the then head of Mostazafan Foundation, to see the blueprints. At that time, 17 per cent of the project was carried out and we had to decide for the remaining 83 per cent.

I was involved with the project since 1996, and the Late Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani made decisions for the important project.

The project was assigned to Mostazafan Foundation and Mr Forouzandeh and then Mr Saeedikia worked hard for completing the project. Wherever Mr Fattah goes, he works with all his power.

Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mr Eslami is a tireless Minister. Any time of day we call him, he is at work.

I would like to thank all those who have taken the responsibility and did this important job.

We are all aware how much people’s life and time is important. The fact that a new road shortens the travel time by 1.5 hours is invaluable. We are all responsible towards people’s life and happiness.

Our enemies always want us to be under pressure and have problems. There are some incidents that are out of our control; like the floods and earthquake, which we cannot do anything about.

This year was a difficult one; from our dear General Soleimani’s martyrdom to what happened in Kerman and those who lost their lives in the plane crash, which was very sad for us.

But our people were present at every stage with courage. That is, they did not surrender to sanctions and did not beg. The people of Iran will not beg and yield to the enemies.

Sanctions have not been able to affect the will of Iranian engineers, workers and managers for completing the important Tehran-North Freeway project.

It does not matter if we are happy or sad, what matters is how we react in happiness and sadness. A virus has come and infected about 40 countries across the world.

We must not be afraid of problems, and, God forbid, nobody must take advantage of these problems and incidents. One must not overcharge people while they need masks and disinfectants.

This important project was built while we were under sanctions and we are proud of Iranian engineers, workers and managers.

Sanctions could not affect Iranian engineers, workers and managers' will to complete the important North-Tehran Freeway project.

In a comprehensive jihad of the Iranian people for the construction of roads, railways, airplanes, ships and ports, for all of which Mr Eslami is responsible, this heavy responsibility is the key infrastructure for the development of the country.

Thank God, the 11th and 12th governments have done a great job regarding development of ports. A great deal of work has been done in the field of railways. In the eleventh and twelfth governments, five provinces of Hamedan, Kermanshah, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan and Gilan have been connected to the national railway system, which is huge work.

God willing, we hope that much of the Chabahar to Zahedan railroad, which is very important to us, will see a great development with the recent financial help. Also, the Rasht-Astara railroad, which is very important to us, will be financed as a very important project.

Regarding the tough Type B Influenza virus that killed 16,000 people in the United States this year, and took the lives of around a hundred people in Iran, we got past it, and this coronavirus is no worse than that, of course, in terms of contact and the speed of outbreak, it is different, but people must not panic.

Everybody must follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health. I would like to thank all doctors and nurses and all those who have put in so much effort these days and weeks.

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

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