Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi held a press conference on the 5th day of his trip to New York and answered a number of questions from the journalists.
In response to a question about Iran's closeness to Russia and China, the president said that the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is neither looking to the East nor to the West, adding, "We will neither allow anyone to dominate us nor will we try to dominate any country."
"Since in the past, the main attention in the development of foreign relations was focused on Western countries, today the government's effort is to create balance so the level of relations with countries such as China, Russia, and other Eastern countries is more visible," he stated.
Speaking about Iran's initiative for realizing the rights of the Palestinian people, President Raeisi stressed the need for holding free elections with the participation of all Palestinians regardless of their religion.
In response to a question about the relationship with the member countries of SCO in realizing a balanced foreign policy for Iran, Raeisi stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Shanghai Organization have great and valuable mutual capacities for each other. The presence of great countries such as Russia, China, India, and other Asian countries in this regional union can bring significant economic benefits to Iran, and at the same time, facilitate communication with neighboring and Asian and friendly countries in order to create balance and equilibrium in foreign policy for Iran."
Turning to the safeguard issues and the anti-Iranian allegations in this regard, President Raeisi noted that it is not possible to reach an agreement without closing the safeguard case claimed by Westerners.
"Basically, when Iran is ready to resolve these issues along with reaching a nuclear agreement, the fact that Western countries and the United States refuse to do so is proof that they want to keep it as a lever of pressure against Iran, and we will not give in to such a procedure."
"Today the ball is in US' court and they have to make the necessary decision," he stressed.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi referred to the role of Martyr Soleimani in the fight against terrorism, saying that General Qassem Soleimani was the hero of the fight against terrorism and restored security to the people and the region by putting his life in danger during the era that ISIL and other terrorist groups had blackened the lives of the people of the region.
Referring to the official announcement of the previous US president's order to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, Raeisi added, "Isn't this a clear example of state terrorism? The Islamic Republic of Iran seriously pursues a fair investigation and trial of the leaders and managers of this action, because if the perpetrators of such an action are tried and handed over to justice, future generations will not dare to repeat such an action."
In response to a question about the death of a young lady in Iran, the Iranian President noted," The incident is under serious investigation, and I, myself also contacted her family at the first opportunity and while expressing my sympathy, I assured them that all aspects of the case will be investigated so that no one's rights are lost."
"But keep in mind that the most important requirement for the defense of human rights is not to face this issue with double and multiple standards," he emphasized.
The Iranian president also slammed western media for not showing the same reaction to the similar incidents in the US and European countries.
"Regarding the repercussions of this incident, I must say that protest is an issue that can happen in all countries. In the Islamic Republic of Iran today, there is a level of freedom where everyone can express their opposing opinion in different circles regarding political, economic, scientific and social issues, but disturbance is different from a protest," President Raeisi added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi stated that expanding relations with neighbors is one of the principles of Iran's foreign policy and added that the Zionist regime seeks to create security for itself by normalizing relations with some countries in the region, but it is unaware of the fact that this normalization of relations is with the governments of these countries and not their people, so as a result, the hatred of the people of the region towards this regime deepens.
"In addition to the neighboring relations, we believe that these countries are very wrong and one day they will see in practice that the Zionist regime does not set any red line for securing its interests," the Iranian president continued.
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In response to a question about Iran's closeness to Russia and China, the president said that the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is neither looking to the East nor to the West, adding, "We will neither allow anyone to dominate us nor will we try to dominate any country."
"Since in the past, the main attention in the development of foreign relations was focused on Western countries, today the government's effort is to create balance so the level of relations with countries such as China, Russia, and other Eastern countries is more visible," he stated.
Speaking about Iran's initiative for realizing the rights of the Palestinian people, President Raeisi stressed the need for holding free elections with the participation of all Palestinians regardless of their religion.
In response to a question about the relationship with the member countries of SCO in realizing a balanced foreign policy for Iran, Raeisi stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Shanghai Organization have great and valuable mutual capacities for each other. The presence of great countries such as Russia, China, India, and other Asian countries in this regional union can bring significant economic benefits to Iran, and at the same time, facilitate communication with neighboring and Asian and friendly countries in order to create balance and equilibrium in foreign policy for Iran."
Turning to the safeguard issues and the anti-Iranian allegations in this regard, President Raeisi noted that it is not possible to reach an agreement without closing the safeguard case claimed by Westerners.
"Basically, when Iran is ready to resolve these issues along with reaching a nuclear agreement, the fact that Western countries and the United States refuse to do so is proof that they want to keep it as a lever of pressure against Iran, and we will not give in to such a procedure."
"Today the ball is in US' court and they have to make the necessary decision," he stressed.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi referred to the role of Martyr Soleimani in the fight against terrorism, saying that General Qassem Soleimani was the hero of the fight against terrorism and restored security to the people and the region by putting his life in danger during the era that ISIL and other terrorist groups had blackened the lives of the people of the region.
Referring to the official announcement of the previous US president's order to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, Raeisi added, "Isn't this a clear example of state terrorism? The Islamic Republic of Iran seriously pursues a fair investigation and trial of the leaders and managers of this action, because if the perpetrators of such an action are tried and handed over to justice, future generations will not dare to repeat such an action."
In response to a question about the death of a young lady in Iran, the Iranian President noted," The incident is under serious investigation, and I, myself also contacted her family at the first opportunity and while expressing my sympathy, I assured them that all aspects of the case will be investigated so that no one's rights are lost."
"But keep in mind that the most important requirement for the defense of human rights is not to face this issue with double and multiple standards," he emphasized.
The Iranian president also slammed western media for not showing the same reaction to the similar incidents in the US and European countries.
"Regarding the repercussions of this incident, I must say that protest is an issue that can happen in all countries. In the Islamic Republic of Iran today, there is a level of freedom where everyone can express their opposing opinion in different circles regarding political, economic, scientific and social issues, but disturbance is different from a protest," President Raeisi added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi stated that expanding relations with neighbors is one of the principles of Iran's foreign policy and added that the Zionist regime seeks to create security for itself by normalizing relations with some countries in the region, but it is unaware of the fact that this normalization of relations is with the governments of these countries and not their people, so as a result, the hatred of the people of the region towards this regime deepens.
"In addition to the neighboring relations, we believe that these countries are very wrong and one day they will see in practice that the Zionist regime does not set any red line for securing its interests," the Iranian president continued.
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