Speaking in the meeting with American foreign policy elites late on Monday in New York, President Hassan Rouhani referred to the government’s approach since 2013 election and said, “we have worked based on constructive interaction with the world. Of course, this interaction was more complex towards countries in which we had a long history of distrust."
“Trust at the international level is always a relative issue and one can never achieve 100-percent trust, but we can establish dialogue between two countries with relative trust,” continued Rouhani.
He also said, “despite a lot of issues, we managed to reach an agreement in 2015 after negotiations, which was a wonder to many."
Describing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a great historic test for everyone, the president added, “based on the 12 reports by the IAEA, Iran has fully and completely lived up to its commitments, while the other sides, be it the US or the other countries, did not adhere completely to their commitments under the deal."
“The US withdrew from the deal without any reason and logic, and this meant that the bridge that was being rebuilt between the two countries went towards destruction again,” he added.
President Rouhani went on to refer to US withdrawal from the JCPOA as a great loss of opportunity in the history of relations between the two countries, saying, “US is an important country in the world and Iran is an influential country in the critical Middle East region, and we could have taken good steps in creating trust and communication."
“Today, some American officials are clearly stating that putting pressure on Iran is aimed at toppling the Iranian government, and this means that they are aimed at completely destroying the relative trust that was previously built,” continued Rouhani.
The president also went on to say, “US' experience in countries of the region, including Lebanon, Syria and Iraq showed that force cannot achieve results. In relation to Iran, we will definitely withstand all of these problems despite all economic issues."
On Iran’s presence in Syria, Rouhani said, “Iran’s presence in Syria is based on the invitation of the government of the country to fight terrorism. We are the victim of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. This is why when the governments of Syria and Iraq called for help in the fight against terrorism, we answered their call without hesitation."
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will remain in Syria at the request of Syrian government until the complete elimination of terrorism in Syria," he stressed.
“The actions of US government are never in favor of public confidence and international peace and stability”, Rouhani said, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has exercised a lot of patience in the face of the United States’ unlawful actions, which shows the greatness of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic."
In response to a question regarding the future of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Rouhani said, “Saudi Arabia and its security are important to Iran, because tens of thousands of Iranians annually travel to Saudi Arabia to attend the pilgrimage ceremony, and Saudi Arabia is significant as a religious center for Muslims. Moreover, the country is a neighbour of Iran."
Unfortunately, the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia has not been favorable in recent years, and this is not due to bilateral issues but Saudis’ anger over the failures in the region and in Syria and Iraq, added the president.
“Saudi Arabia may have complaints from Iran because of its failures in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, but the Islamic Republic of Iran considers resolution of the problems in favor of the region and the world and is always interested in developing relations with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia," Rouhani concluded.
MS/PR