Rouhani: War with Iran is the mother of all wars, and peace with Iran is the mother of all peace

Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of pursuing goals beyond sanctions by imposing a policy of sanctions against Iran and warned, "Enemies must understand well that war with Iran is the mother of all wars and peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and we have never feared threats and will respond to threats with threats." The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, speaking on Sunday, July 31, at a conference of heads of Iranian representations abroad in Tehran, accused the U.S. of wanting to exert economic and psychological pressure on Iran and ultimately turn it into chaos and unrest. He added, "America will be unsuccessful in its goals." Previously, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, had tweeted on July 28 that the U.S. supports the Iranian people's struggle for freedom, justice, and respect for human rights. On the same day, July 31, Pompeo participated in a gathering called "Supporting Iranian Voices," where he was expected to address the economic demands of the Iranian people, corruption, and pressure on minorities. In his remarks, the Iranian President referred to the "two paths of surrender or resistance" and stated, "Talking, negotiating, and speaking with America means nothing but surrender." Hassan Rouhani added, "This group in America today, if we surrender to them and take a step back, will plunder all the interests of the nation, and in this situation, we will not be afraid and will stand against them until the last drop of our blood." He described the U.S. government as "headless" and warned Donald Trump, the U.S. President, not to "play with the tail of the lion, it is regrettable." Rouhani deemed the defeat of the U.S. by the Islamic Republic of Iran as "inevitable" and added, "We may see damages on this path, but we will also have benefits." Referring to U.S. officials' statements about preventing Iranian oil exports, he said, "Americans think that when we say that if Iranian oil is not exported, no one can export oil, we are looking to close the Strait of Hormuz. However, there are many ways, and closing the Strait of Hormuz is the simple method; we have many other straits available for this purpose." On July 11 in Switzerland, he said, "Americans have claimed that they want to completely stop Iranian oil exports. They do not understand the meaning of this statement, as it makes no sense that Iranian oil cannot be exported while oil from the region can be exported." The Iranian President added, "If you can do this, go ahead and see the result." Rouhani's remarks were welcomed by some commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of this force, who said, "In potential conditions... we can make enemies understand what it means to use the Strait of Hormuz for everyone or for no one." Subsequently, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, referred to Rouhani's recent threats as "words indicative of the policy and approach of the system" and deemed it the responsibility of the Iranian Foreign Ministry to "seriously pursue such positions of the President." This was in a context where the U.S. Secretary of State, on July 19, regarding Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, stated that Iran "must know that the U.S. is committed to keeping maritime routes open and continuing the flow of oil for the entire world." The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most strategic shipping routes in the world, with about one-fifth of the world's oil needs, nearly 18.5 million barrels of oil per day, passing through it. Washington is trying to deter Iranian oil customers from buying the country's oil as part of its efforts to reinstate sanctions against Tehran. Steve Mnuchin, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, recently stated that Washington would consider granting exemptions to some countries from Iranian oil sanctions, stating that issuing such exemptions would be aimed at preventing disruptions in global oil markets. Part of Hassan Rouhani's remarks at the conference of heads of Iranian representations abroad was dedicated to explaining Iran's "strategic depth" in its surrounding regions. He stated, "Iran's strategic depth extends from the east to the Indian subcontinent, from the west to the Mediterranean, in the south to the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and in the north to Central Asia and the Caucasus." The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran declared that "Iran's influence is not limited to Iraq and Syria," stating, "We have been present at the invitation of the governments of Syria and Iraq to combat terrorism in these countries because we do not accept the disgrace of our brothers and sisters being killed and dragged into the ground by terrorism." He stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran "takes pride in its work in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon and will continue to take pride in it until the end." The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries in the region and the world of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, but Tehran denies these accusations. Tehran's regional policy has drawn criticism from the United States.