Rouhani: America Should Return to the Negotiation Table It Disrupted

The President of Iran called for the United States to return to the JCPOA or UN Security Council Resolution 2231, stating, "We invite you to return to the negotiation table that you disrupted." Hassan Rouhani, in his speech on Tuesday, October 3, at the 83rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, referred to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA as a "violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and said that "the indifference and ineffectiveness of international institutions can pose a danger to global peace." He also cited Resolution 2231, calling the U.S. invitation to other countries to sanction Iran a "general invitation to disobey the law" and a "threat to lawmakers with punishment." The Security Council Resolution was issued after the Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it. However, Iran and Western countries have differing interpretations of this resolution. The resolution requested Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However, Iranian officials state that Iran's missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads. "We invite you to return to the negotiation table that you disrupted. If you fear the JCPOA and consider it the record of your political rivals in America, return to the Security Council resolution (UN Security Council Resolution 2231)." Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, stated that stopping Iran's missile program is one of the 12 conditions set by the U.S. for reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran, conditions that the Islamic Republic has previously rejected, and the new U.S. position on them is unclear following Donald Trump's proposal for an unconditional meeting with Hassan Rouhani. "Perhaps there is no better way than dialogue," the Iranian president said, referring to Donald Trump's proposal for a meeting between the two countries' officials, stating, "We also believe that ultimately, perhaps there is no better way than dialogue, but dialogue is two-sided, based on equality, justice, and human dignity, and based on international rules and rights." Rouhani called for the U.S. to return to the JCPOA, adding, "We invite you to return to the negotiation table that you disrupted. If you fear the JCPOA and consider it the record of your political rivals in America, return to the Security Council resolution (UN Security Council Resolution 2231)." He emphasized, "For dialogue, there is no need for taking two-person photos; we can hear each other's words right here in this General Assembly. I will start the dialogue from here and clearly state: the issue of international security is not a toy of U.S. domestic politics. The United Nations is not one of the offices of the United States government." The Iranian president described the symbol of the start of dialogue from the U.S. as "ending threats and sanctions" and added, "Our words are clear: commitment for commitment, violation for violation, threat for threat, and step for step, instead of word for word. Iran's policy is clear: no war, no sanctions; no threats, no bullying; only keeping promises and acting according to the law." The U.S. president, who had previously expressed readiness to meet with Iranian leaders, stated on Tuesday upon arriving at the UN General Assembly that he would not meet with the leaders of the Islamic Republic until they "change their tone." Trump had previously emphasized that Iran's economic situation is rapidly deteriorating and predicted that Iranian officials would soon negotiate with the U.S. government. However, this proposal was rejected by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, who stated that, like Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the current Iranian government, he prohibits negotiations with the U.S. Nevertheless, the U.S. Secretary of State reported on October 1 that the U.S. president is interested in meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating, "That negotiation will be interesting and important." Donald Trump also criticized the leaders of the Islamic Republic at the UN General Assembly for their policies, stating that they "spread the seeds of chaos, death, and destruction." The Iranian president described the U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran as "illegitimate" and "a form of economic terrorism and a violation of the right to development." Hassan Rouhani added, "The economic war that the U.S. has started under the guise of new sanctions targets not only the people of Iran but also has harmful effects on the people of other countries and has disrupted global trade." In another part of his speech, the president considered "sanction and takfir" as "two sides of the same coin" and added, "In takfir, the thoughts of people are denied, and in sanctions, the life and welfare of people are negated." Rouhani had previously described Washington's plan to sanction Iran's oil sales as "impractical" and at the same time "dangerous." The U.S. reinstated the first round of its suspended sanctions against Iran on August 6 and announced that in the next phase of sanctions, which will begin on November 4, it will attempt to reduce Iran's oil sales to zero. According to some analysts, oil sales sanctions and banking sanctions will be the most significant sanctions against Iran.