Speaking at a cabinet session on Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani said "Last year was a very difficult year, but fortunately since the beginning of this year, God has bestowed peace to the people that can be considered as the reward of patience, resistance and noble behavior of the Iranian people towards great cruelty.”
Rouhani added, "The people of Iran know very well who oppresses them and who has undermined the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and they know what effects and interests it could have.”
The Iranian president added, “On the visit to New York, three of the world's major leaders were surprised by Iran’s ability to attract all major companies in the world after the JCPOA.”
"JCPOA showed how effective the Iranian nation's actions and Iranian diplomacy and peace and goodwill can be. This was the reason why the Zionist Regime, Saudi Arabia and American hardliners could not stand it,” he said.
“Enemies thought they could destroy the Iranian political system through undermining the JCPOA, but the Iranian nation is more vigilant than to be deceived by its enemies,” he added.
Rouhani said, "Of course there were some people inside who were provoking people, saying that Trump and even Netanyahu are not the bad guys and it is the government that is ineffective.”
The President noted, “The government is the same government that created 12.5 percent growth in 2016, kept inflation at single digits for three consecutive years, surpassed exports over non-oil imports, and led the country to self-sufficiency in diesel, wheat, and even oilseeds.”
"This government is the same government that built not only the IR-8 centrifuge, but also the IR-9 centrifuge, and not only did not destroy the Arak reactor but modernized it and continued its development path step by step. The best air defines system and the best frigate and submarines were built in this government”, he mentioned.
“In this year, we have inaugurated, and are going to inaugurate, one trillion tomans worth of projects for water and electricity every month,” said Rouhani.
"They [Americans] are still sending messages for negotiations and will deliver messages, and of course the government will continue its way with dignity,” he added.
The president mentioned that good work has been done in the field of knowledge-based companies, saying, "These companies are attracting university graduates, and this can be empowering for young people.”
Emphasizing that the fight against corruption is seriously pursued by the government, Rouhani said, “The three bills of transparency, anti-corruption, and conflict of interest have been drafted and approved and we believe that until there is no transparency in the country, the rest is just showing off and it does not benefit the nation”
"We must act in international conferences and conventions in the direction of realizing the interests of the country and making financial and banking transactions smooth; in doing so, the slogan does not work,” he added.
Rouhani said, "It is an honor for us that we are fighting terrorism and corruption, so we should not let our banking system be charged with money laundering because this will hurt the country.”
“Of course, some are skeptical about the FATF, to whom we will not say anything; but why do some people obstruct the four bills passed by the government and the parliament; these are not in the interests of the country,” he continued.
MNA/President.ir