Rouhani’s address, which was aired live by TV channels, extended his thanks to all players of any sort during 12 years of nuclear negotiations; he started with the conditions once imposed on Iran’s negotiators and brilliantly and clearly told the nation that “now all those imposed conditions have changed to the better.”
This is the full address by Mr. Rouhani covered live here in Mehr News:
To resolve this nuclear issue, we had to take the necessary steps in different fields in politics, we had to make necessary political arrangements; from the public opinion point of view, to negotiate is not just to read statements, it is to bargain effectively; it means you give money and purchase the house; we would not expect to be profited from charity, but engaging in effective bargaining.
We had to bring order to economy under sanctions; when we started negotiations, the economic growth was well under zero per cent; however, during negotiations, we both controlled the inflation and stabilized economy, which was a clear message to the 5+1; resistance by the Iranian nation was also effective; the national resistance brought the western negotiators back to negotiation table; we sought four objectives in the negotiations; to secure a continuous nuclear activity inside the country; to remove inhumane and cruel sanctions; to have cancelled in the UN all resolutions against Iran; to remove out of the UN arrangements Iran’s nuclear program; we reached almost all four objectives; however, to adhere to redlines, considerable efforts have been waged by our experts, politicians, and negotiators in the negotiation.
Once they had been telling us that in the era of deprivation, Iran should have only 100 centrifuges, however, we reached to 1000 centrifuges, and finally 4000 centrifuges; now negotiations has secured 6000 centrifuges; 1000 in Fordow, 5000 in Natanz facilities; they had been telling us that you should be deprived 20+10 years; they finally agreed to reduce the years to 10 years and again to 8 years.
About R&D, they said it should be possible for Iran only for IR1; this was ludicrous, since we had already operated IR1; they finally agreed to recognize our using of IR8, and now we have secured that too. About Arak, their sacrosanct redline was heavy water in Arak reactor; now the deal recognizes heavy water for Arak.
In Fordow, they felt it difficult to even hear the very name of Fordow; they had dreaded from the very name; now they have agreed to the center to remain active; in sanctions, they have agreed to remove sanctions; however, they had been demanding that sanctions be removed in a gradual basis; now, the deal allows removal of sanctions altogether; all sanctions in financial and banking sector, heavy industries, oil and gas, and all economic sanction; even arms embargo will also be removed after 5 years.
About removal of UN resolutions, they demanded that we implement for at least 6 months so that they cancel all six resolutions; now the deal cancels all six resolutions.
With implementation of the deal, after 10 years, no dossier will remain in the UN; It would be objected that trust upon the 5+1 makes the basis for the deal; for us, implementation of the deal is a real test: if it is implemented well, it would destroy every brick of the wall of distrust.
We will continue to go forward with the deal, without investing trust in countries in the region which are either enemies or rivals. We have once implemented [the deal] unilaterally; now the deal is bilateral if they remain committed to the deal; the Iranian nation has always lived to its promise, and will do this time as well. However, deal has different stages; all seven countries have agreed unanimously on all articles of the deal; with the UN, it should approve of the deal where it relates to removal of resolutions approved by the UN.
Today is the day of joint statement; the day when the UN approves of the deal, it is the day when the US and the EU will clearly announce removal of all sanctions, and after that Iran’s commitment will go into effect, which will last for at least two months, which will be the day for deal implementation; however we have yet a stage to that day, it is a historically important day when all powers recognized, after 12 years, Iran’s nuclear technology; they agreed to help Iran in its nuclear program; they announced that sanctions will be removed and Iran will be dealt as a normal member of international community; it is the day when false assumptions and cruel mentality toward Iran is over; today, it is not all the nation in all cities of Iran are jubilant, rather, in Lebanon, in Gaza, and elsewhere in the region are jubilant, since the Zionist regime has been bereft of all its pretexts as it is baseless.
Today, powers might say that they prevented Iran from making a nuclear bomb has been their major achievements; however, all know well that our Leader’s fatwa prohibits nuclear weapon; Iran has never been and will never be after achieveing nuclear weapons; so I call them to speak of other achievements which would usher a new era in international community.
I would thank all those players who played a role in the negotiations; our nation, for their resistance, Leader of the Islamic Republic, a good guide and an able and kind adviser, who had accepted a heavy burden; Parliament, the Judiciary, the armed forces which supported the nation and negotiators, universities and clerics, seminaries, all people in four quarters of this country, whose will empowered us and gave us the courage to remain steadfast.
I would welcome constructive criticism; however, I would not allow criticism through scandal, through gossip, through defamation, to damage the trust of the public, to extinguish their hope for a new start; fresh start to a new hope, a better future for our youth, a more rapid movement toward development; and finally, you all our neighbors, beware of being trapped in Israeli propaganda; Iran’s power is your power, we know security in the region as our security; we assume our stability the stability of the region; we had not been seeking nuclear weapons; we had not been seeking mounting pressures on our neighbors; now we will want more cooperation and more harmony in the region.
And as to our nation, we will have your help and support, in the path to the future.