Pres. Rouhani: Iran after long-term peace in region

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Referring to the importance of attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President said, “Attending the assembly is a very good opportunity for propagating the great Iranian nation’s opinions”.

Speaking on Monday at Mehrabad Airport before leaving for New York to attend the 74th United Nations General Assembly, President Hassan Rouhani said, “With regard to the complicate, difficult problems that the Persian Gulf is facing today, this year’s visit to New York to attend the general assembly is very important”.

He added, “It is felt that the Americans are not very happy with the Iranian delegation at different levels to attend the United Nations and address the General Assembly, which can have different reasons”.

“When the Americans are not happy with the Iranian delegation attending the General Assembly, it is the time for us to be present there and insist on having our say despite their wish,” said Rouhani.

The President also said, “This year, we are visiting the United Nations at the time when US’ unjust sanctions against the Iranian nation have reached a level that they themselves admit that there is nothing left to be under sanctions, and this means the Americans are in complete despair”.

Stressing that the maximum US sanctions could not get them what they wanted, he said, “The Iranian nation withstood these sanctions very well, and, thank God, our economy has been growing over the past months”.

The president went on to point out that in recent weeks, regional issues have been deteriorated, saying, “There are concerns, the root causes of which are quite clear, but with the accusations that Americans make, it is clear that they are pursuing other goals”.

Dr Rouhani added, “The US Secretary of State has been saying irrelevant things in this regard, and it is a historical wonder that a Secretary of State has repeatedly stated inaccurate and incorrect statements”.

The president noted, “The reason for such actions is that the US wants to completely take over the region and take over all the oil in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, and this is of course what the US is fighting over with China and others”.

“Americans want to make the most of this opportunity, and they are looking to conclude billion-dollar defence systems contracts with regional countries, indicating that they have other goals for continued presence in the region," Dr Rouhani said.

Referring to the Hormuz Peace Initiative, which will be proposed at the UN General Assembly, the President said, "We seek mass cooperation within the Persian Gulf region for regional security, and we want all countries in the region to participate in this path".

Dr Rouhani reiterated, "This initiative is not just for security but also for other issues and it is called the Hormuz Peace Initiative".

Referring to the Hormuz Peace Initiative called "HOPE" as its acronym, he said, "All the Persian Gulf the Hormuz Region littoral states and the United Nations are invited to participate in the initiative”.

"We hope to be able to announce to the world that Iran seeks long-term peace in the region," Dr Rouhani added.

The president added, "Reactions to the initiative is still unclear, in addition to the fact that the Americans announced yesterday that they are waiting for clarification".

"The Americans have been in our region since 2001, but have never been able to establish security in the region," Dr Rouhani continued, stressing that the solution would be from within the region and those who came from outside could not bring peace to our region.

The president also referred to 4+1 and the nuclear issue, as well as Iran reducing its JCPOA commitments, as other topics that will be discussed on the trip, and said, "The rationale for reducing Iran's commitments will be outlined at a meeting of ministers".

Dr Rouhani went on to point out that for the first time in the last 1.5 years in the history of US-Iranian tensions, we are happy to have reached a point where the United States has been politically isolated, “except for one or two small states who are their disciples, the overwhelming majority of countries condemn US actions”.

The president referred to Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities and said, "Every free public opinion in the world condemns the Aramco issue, which is the product of the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Zionism and its disciples’ aggression against Yemen”.

Dr Rouhani said that meeting with the heads of state in New York were among his other plans for the visit, saying, “Meetings with 15 heads of state are scheduled for three days in New York, in addition to several press interviews and meetings with media managers and American elites and experts”.

The president added, “In my address to the UN General Assembly, I will also explain the main positions of Islamic Iran to the world”.

After the interview, President Rouhani left Tehran for New York.

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