Rouhani slams US for ‘authoritarian’ foreign policy, calls on Trump to return to talks
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused the Trump administration of trying to undo all international institutions and slammed it for "illegally" withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, while calling on it to return to talks.
25 September 2018
18:40 GMT"The world will not have a better friend than Iran if peace is what you seek," Rouhani said at the end of his speech.
- 18:35 GMT
"Iran does not need an empire. Iran is an empire in terms of its civilization and culture - not through political domination," Rouhani said.
- 18:31 GMT
Iran desires the formation of a "collective mechanism" for the Persian Gulf region with the participation of all regional countries, Rouhani said.
- 18:30 GMT
Rouhani says Iran wants better relations with Gulf states.
The "most pressing" crisis in the Middle East is the question of Palestine. "The innumerable crimes of Israel against the Palestinians" would not have been possible without the support of the US, according to Rouhani. - 18:27 GMT
Iran's presence in Syria has been at the request of the Syrian government and "has aimed at assisting the Syrian government in combatting extremist terrorism."
From the very beginning of the crisis in #Syria, we have warned against any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of this country and the use of unlawful means and have consistently emphasized that the crisis can only be resolved through intra-Syrian dialogue. #UNGA
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) September 25, 2018Iran, Russia, and Turkey, in cooperation with the government of Syria and other Syrian parties met in Tehran earlier this month and through the Astana Process, succeeded in reducing tensions in Syria, specially preventing escalation and bloodshed in the Idlib region. #UNGA
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) September 25, 2018 - 18:25 GMT
The question of international security "is not a toy in American domestic politics," Rouhani said. "The UN is not a part of the United States administration."
Rouhani says Iran supports peace and democracy in the entire Middle East.
There is "no better way than dialogue," he said, while also stating that dialogue is a two-way street.
- 18:21 GMT
When it comes to international relations, the US believes that "might makes right," Rouhani said.
#Iran president calls US "authoritarian." He adds US believes "might makes right." And Hassan Rouhani also adds, with a slight tweak to Trump's North Korea policy: “For dialogue to take place, there is no need for a photo opportunity.” #unga
— Jon Gambrell جون (@jongambrellAP) September 25, 2018 - 18:18 GMT
Washington's behavior in international relations is authoritarian, according to Rouhani.
#Rouhani just called Trump, and therefore America, authoritarian and invited America back in the JCPOA. He comes across much better and more mature than Trump #UNGA#UNGA18#UNGA73pic.twitter.com/pxW11ebzA4
— TEZ 🌬🌊 Can’t wait until Nov 6th (@TEZNYC) September 25, 2018 - 18:16 GMT
“Iranian people have never broken in the face of”these types of events, Rouhani says. #UNGA#UNGACGTN
— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) September 25, 2018 - 18:15 GMT
The Iranian people have demonstrated their resilience over the past 40 years, and they can overcome this "difficult phase" as well.
#Rouhani: "the multi-millennial history of our country has showed that Iran and Iranians have neither bowed nor been broken by international storms…” #UNGA#Iran#NoSanctionNoWar
— Ali Ghezelbash (@aghezelbash) September 25, 2018Iran's multi-millennial history shows that Iran has never broken in the "face of a storm of events," Rouhani said.
