Addressing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Rouhani said that “we do not want tensions in the region, but you have to ask who started the tension in the first place? It was not the Yemenis. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and some European countries besides the Zionist regime have ignited a war and destroyed Yemen.”
"The aggressors want every one to remain silent when they kill civilians or when they send their weapons to the region but when Yemenis show a reaction they start to condemn the measure," he added.
Addressing the aggressors in Yemen, namely the Saudi-led, US-backed coalition, Rouhani said “Yemenis attacked an industrial site not a hospital, a school or bazaar. That was just a warning, which you should heed.”
“You have sought war in the region as of 19 years ago in various countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and the Persian Gulf region,” he said addressing the enemies.
The Iranian President noted that there are two conflicting stances in the region, “on the one hand, some countries try to ensure security and combat terrorist activities in the region, and on the other hand, some act as warmongers.”
Referring to his recent talks with Turkish and Russian presidents in the framework of Astana peace process for Syrian settlement, he said “the talks and meetings seek tightening up security and stability in the region, particularly in Syria, and combating the remaining terrorists.”
“This proves that a collaborative effort is underway to bring peace to the region," Rouhani stressed.
Elsewhere, President Rouhani expressed content that Iran is doing its banking transactions with some countries, such as Russia and Turkey, without SWIFT, saying that the country will improve its banking relations with Eurasian countries, through the same method, in the near future.
The Iranian President added that Iran’s trade transactions with Turkey, Iraq and Russia are being conducted through the use of national currencies instead of the US dollar. “This will reduce the US dominance on monetary and financial markets,” he said.
He then reiterated that the Americans cannot reach their goal by implementing the ‘maximum pressure’ policy against Iran and if they want negotiations with the Islamic Republic, they should first cease all pressure and lift all sanctions against Iran.
He added that Iran is still committed to its JCPOA obligations and IAEA inspectors are supervising Iran's transparent nuclear activities.
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