He made the remarks on a cabinet session held on Wednesday.
Deploring silence of Arab and Muslim countries over the crimes of the Zionists, the President said “we are sorry that some Arab countries of the region are silent towards the recent crimes of the Zionists and some Islamic countries have simply turned a blind eye to these incidents, and some others have regarded it as [Israel’s] self-defense right, while legitimate self-defense belongs to people who own the land not to those who have taken lands by usurpation. Therefore, legitimate self-defense of Zionists in this land is meaningless.”
“On the one hand, there are conditions in the region due to the United States authorities' imprudence in transferring the US embassy to Al Quds, which is against the past treaties and even UNSC resolutions and will not contribute to peace and stability of the region,” he added.
“The Zionist Regime and the US think that they can put more pressure on the Palestinian people to deprive them of their own rights and separate the Muslims of the world from their own land, Al Quds. This is a grave mistake,” continued the President.
He went on to say that “muslims around the world consider Al Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque their first qibla. Therefore, this holy land cannot be separated from the 1.5 billion population of Muslims of the world by political games.”
The people of Palestine will not tolerate such oppressions, he said, adding, “Palestinians have resisted for 70 years and will continue to do so until their legitimate rights are secured. The actions and deeds of the Zionist Regime have always been aggression, tyranny and killing of the innocent and in the recent days, these actions are more evident.”
“I have no doubt that such actions will make Palestinians more determined to resist and will prove it to the Muslims of the world that there is no way except unity, integrity, increasing more pressure and helping the people of Palestine to liberate their lands, because the Zionist Regime is not a regime that is committed to morality and even international rules and regulations, only understanding the language of force,” he continued.
Stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran will always defend the rights of the Palestinian people and will continue along this path, Rouhani went on to say that “without a doubt, this year's Quds Day will be held more gloriously in Iran and other countries and the world will show the Zionist Regime and the White House leaders that they have chosen the wrong path and, God-willing, this will promote more unity and integrity in the World of Islam.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Iranian President touched on the discussion regarding Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying “Iranian nation have always stood up to the conspiracies of others, especially the United States, and have proved that they will not yield to pressure.”
“In the nuclear issue, there are some on the other side of the deal who think that they can bring the Iranian nation to its knees through pressure, sanction, intimidation and showing signs of war, but the nation’s resistance clearly proved that this way of thinking is incorrect,” he added.
“From the first day in office, the 11th government believed that this issue has a technical and political solution and that we can reach a conclusion through respecting the rights of the Iranian people and political negotiation between countries,” the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also said.
Touching on the achievements of nuclear deal, Rouhani added "the first achievement was defending the rights of the Iranian nation. Based on the resolutions of the United Nations, Iran's enrichment was considered illegal, which we do not accept.”
“The other achievement was removal of sanctions to serve national interests, which we might have achieved 80 per cent of what we wished but it is important that in interaction and negotiation with major western countries, including the US which has had hostility towards the Iranian people, problems may arise. But if we compare JCPOA's existence and non-existence, it will become clear what Iranian nation has done,” he said, adding, “after the implementation of the JCPOA, the US unilaterally withdrew from it. Today, the US has violated international regulations and must be put under pressure.”
Referring to the fact that except Israel and few countries of the region, no other country or international body supports US act on JCPOA, Iranian President highlighted that “all international communities, including the IAEA and the UN explicitly announce that Iran has lived up to its commitments and the entire world emphasizes that the US' action has been against international regulations.”
“After the US withdrew from a very important multilateral and international agreement without a reason and logic, there is an opportunity for 5 countries that were party to the deal to cooperate with Iran, and we will stay in the JCPOA if our interests are guaranteed,” the Iranian President said.
MAH/PR