Rouhani's Speech at the UN; Protests in New York

Short news: Rouhani's speech at the UN; protests in New York 02/Mehr/1397. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, began his speech at the United Nations. Follow the live coverage of this speech on the news feed on Tuesday, October 3. On the day when the UN General Assembly witnessed speeches from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and Hassan Rouhani, groups of opponents of the Islamic Republic held protests on the sidelines of the General Assembly. In this context, Rouhani accused the United States of 'betrayal' and stated that it is impossible to trust the U.S. government due to its violation of the JCPOA and UN Security Council resolutions. According to Rouhani, Iran has adhered to the JCPOA based on 12 reports from the agency, but the U.S. government withdrew from the agreement. He stated that the U.S. should not be allowed to use the UN for electoral purposes. Rouhani considered the U.S. threats to violate the JCPOA and the Security Council resolution as dangerous, noting that this is the first time such a thing has happened in the organization. He said, 'We must forever set aside the fantasy that one can achieve greater peace and security for oneself by depriving others of security and peace. We must not allow this thought to grow that one can extort from others by creating artificial insecurity. In this path, opposing multilateralism is not a sign of strength, but a sign of weak thought and reflects a lack of understanding of an intertwined and complex world.' The Iranian President said, 'The U.S. government, at least under its current administration, intends to render all international institutions ineffective. This government, while violating international rules and laws by withdrawing from a multilateral agreement ratified by the Security Council, calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran for bilateral dialogue. A government that is still unaware of its statehood and violates its predecessor's commitments and does not recognize the legal principle of the permanent responsibility of states. A government that does not value the consultation of elites asks Iran to engage in dialogue with it.' Rouhani added, 'With what criteria can we enter into a new agreement with such a treacherous government? Any dialogue must be in continuation of the JCPOA and Security Council Resolution 2231, not by disregarding it and returning to the past, which is a great regression. The greater regression is that the U.S. government does not hide its intention to overthrow the very government it seeks to negotiate with.' Rouhani then criticized U.S. sanctions, stating, 'Unilateral and illegitimate sanctions are a form of economic terrorism and a violation of the right to development. The economic war that the U.S. has initiated under the guise of new sanctions has not only targeted the people of Iran but has also had detrimental effects on the people of other countries and disrupted global trade.' Inviting the U.S. back to the negotiating table, Rouhani continued, 'We also believe that ultimately, there is no better way than dialogue, but dialogue is two-sided and based on equality, justice, and human dignity and based on international rules and laws. Security Council Resolution 2231 is not a scrap of paper. We invite you to return to Resolution 2231. We invite you to return to the negotiating table that you disrupted. If you fear the JCPOA and consider it the record of your political rivals in the U.S., we invite you to return to the Security Council resolution. We invite you to stay in international organizations. Do not impose sanctions, as sanctions and excommunication are two sides of the same coin; in excommunication, the thoughts of people are denied, and in sanctions, the lives and welfare of people are negated.' Rouhani stated that for 'dialogue, there is no need for taking two-person photos,' saying, 'We can hear each other's words right here in this General Assembly. I will start the dialogue from here and clearly state that the issue of international security is not a toy for U.S. domestic politics. The UN is not one of the offices of the U.S. government. Any dialogue can start from the same place and from the same person who interrupted the dialogue and trampled the agreement. The start of it is the end of the threats and unjust sanctions that violate the principles of ethics and international law.' Hassan Rouhani, referring to the 'Ahvaz terrorist attack,' said, 'As victims of yesterday and today’s terrorism, we have always been at the forefront of the real fight against terrorism and will be. Our people are mourning the martyrdom of dozens of innocent people who were killed on Saturday by terrorists who shamelessly accepted responsibility for this savagery from some Western capitals and in interviews with media outlets funded by oil dollars in the West.' In conclusion, Rouhani said, 'We were fighting the Taliban before New York was attacked. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the same government that fought against ISIS and portrayed it as a false image of Islamism. We were fighting ISIS before it operated in Paris, London, and Brussels. Accept the historical realities about Iran. Lift the sanctions and end the excommunication. The world will not find a better friend than Iran if peace is your ideal.' Israel, Yemen, and Syria were other focal points of Hassan Rouhani's speech. On Tuesday, groups supporting the Mojahedin and supporters of the monarchy gathered in New York and chanted slogans against Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. In response to Iran's accusations regarding the 'Ahvaz terrorist attack,' a Saudi Foreign Ministry official rejected the allegation. The Saudi state news agency quoted this Saudi official as saying, 'Saudi Arabia's clear policy has always been not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and to prevent others from interfering in its own affairs.' This Saudi official accused Iran of supporting terrorism in the region and urged Tehran not to use its resources 'to support terrorist groups.' Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting jihadist groups and ISIS in the region. In other news, Idollah Samadi, a film and television director, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 66. Samadi was known for works such as 'The Bus,' 'Savalan,' 'Damral,' 'Sara,' 'Apartment No. 13,' 'Two and a Half,' 'My Lady,' 'Shahrashoub,' and 'My Father.' Simultaneously with Trump's speech at the UN, the price of the dollar in the unofficial market in Iran set a new record, stopping at 17,000 tomans. The website Banasbast reported the dollar's exchange rate as 170,000 rials for buying and 169,000 rials for selling. The dollar price had surpassed 16,000 tomans the previous day. Trump expressed eagerness for a warm relationship with Iran before entering the General Assembly, stating that Iran is currently enduring the toughest sanctions. He said he has no plans to meet with Iranian officials but believes that will eventually happen. Trump stated, 'I am eager to have a warm relationship with Iran. But that will not happen now.' On Monday, Donald Trump, with a noticeable change in tone on Twitter, wrote, 'Despite requests, I have no plans to meet with President Hassan Rouhani. Maybe another time. I am sure he is a very lovely man.' In his General Assembly speech, Donald Trump mentioned that he was here a year ago discussing the threat facing humanity. He referred to the successes of the U.S. in two years. The U.S. President stated that the United States is now stronger, richer, and safer. He noted that his administration has been more successful than any previous U.S. administration in less than two years, which was met with laughter from the audience. Trump smiled, saying he did not expect such a reaction. He referred to his international successes, especially on the Korean Peninsula, which he said were previously unimaginable, such as missile and nuclear tests. He thanked Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, and other countries for these achievements. He stated that after his trip to Saudi Arabia, a center for combating terrorism was established. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar spent millions of dollars on the Syrian people. Trump said that Iranian leaders create chaos, death, and destruction, and that was why he decided to withdraw from the JCPOA. He accused the Iranian government of suppressing its people, corruption, and interfering in other countries such as Yemen and Syria. The U.S. President stated that the JCPOA provided Iran with revenue to fund its policies in the region. The Israel-Palestine conflict was another focal point of Trump's speech. He also stated that the U.S. does not recognize the International Criminal Court and that this institution lacks legitimacy. Trump said that the U.S. has defended many of these oil-producing countries, but they sell oil to us at high prices. Immigration, drugs, crime, and other issues were also addressed by Donald Trump. He emphasized that countries should make their own decisions about immigration, not international organizations. Venezuela and Cuba were other countries that Trump criticized harshly. Trump praised the reforms of King Salman and his crown prince in Saudi Arabia. He commended the seventy-year anniversary of Israel and the Polish people's decision to take control of their destiny. The European Union announced yesterday that it would take Poland to court for violating European values.