Pres. Rouhani: Silence towards aggressor’s acts makes them bolder

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran's President described the United States’ killing of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani a grave mistake and stressed, "If we remain silent towards the aggressor’s acts, it will make them bolder”.

Speaking in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday evening, President Hassan Rouhani said, "If we do not take unanimous stance against America’s mistakes, a great danger will threat our region”.

Appreciating the Turkish President’s condolences with the Iranian government and nation, Dr Rouhani said, "Iran and Turkey have always negotiated in complicated issues”.

“We must respond to foolish acts, and there is no doubt that silence towards aggressors will make them bolder,” he said.

The President continued, "Martyr Soleimani had an undeniable role in the fight against terrorists in the region and you know well that he has carried out his great regional and Islamic duty”.

Iranians are very angry about this US act, he said, adding, "What US did was a great, foolish mistake and America violated Iraq’s national sovereignty and carried out terrorist acts in the Iraqi soil, which was against the country’s independence”.

Dr Rouhani added, "The United States also carried out a state-sponsored organised assassination against another government and martyred our beloved and great military commander. If we do not take a united stance against such acts by America, we will be in great danger".

The President appreciated the Turkish President’s condolences and said, "America has committed a great crime against us today and if we remain silent today, such an action will be carried out against other countries tomorrow".

"We expect all our friends and neighbours to condemn this crime explicitly," Dr Rouhani said.

The president also referred to Syria and developments in the country, adding, "Efforts will continue in the framework of heads of state of Iran, Turkey and Russia to help solve the Syrian issue”.

The president also referred to Iran's interest in developing bilateral relations and said, "I hope we meet in Tehran soon."

At the same phone call, the President of Turkey offered condolences over the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani to the Supreme Leader, the government and the people of Iran, and said that he was deeply sorry for the loss of General Soleimani and that he understood the Iranian people’s anger.

Referring to the magnificent funeral of Martyr Soleimani that he saw on Iraqi television, Erdoğan added, "All these images clearly showed the Iraqi people's affection for Lieutenant General Soleimani”.

Referring to the need for establishing stability and security in the region, he emphasised, "Foreign interventions and regional conflicts prevent the region from achieving peace and stability, and we must not allow such actions to pose a threat to the peace and stability of the region".

The Turkish President emphasised, "I am confident that the Iranian cultural and governmental structure, which is rooted in history, will manage this period of time by relying on its wisdom".

Referring to the talks between the two countries' foreign ministers, Erdoğan added, "We will discuss bilateral and regional issues during our visit to Tehran in the near future".

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