Iran Press/Iran - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on answering MPs’ questions in a session at the Islamic Consultative Assembly said: “Nobody, including the noble people of Iran, our friends and enemies around the world, must think that today is the start of a rift between the government and the parliament”.
“I consider this day a special day for democracy, the country and religious democracy,” he said, adding: “In the 12th Government, I have been trying to establish a close, brotherly relationship between the government and the Majlis”.
Stating that the key question is that why our people should worry about the future of their lives and country, he said: “The main question is that why in the 4.5 years of our work in the economic growth, inflation, employment, balanced prices of currency and upturn in the economy was improving”.
We believe that people’s prediction of the future was wrong, said Rouhani, adding: “People’s view of the future of Iran suddenly changed and this is the most important issue. Employment and unemployment are a great burden, I admit, the problems in the banking system and the issue of upturn and the price of currency are equally important, but all of this is insignificant in comparison to people's trust and hope”.
Iranian president affirmed in his speech that we have taken long strides in creating some 700000 jobs over past years but there are still many unemployment people despite government efforts.
Referring to people’s doubts about the future, he said: “We must cure this doubt. Let’s speak clearly with people and convince them that these issues are transitory. This is the key; we must explain to people that we will overcome these issues with God’s help, Supreme Leader’s guidance, and coordination between the three branches and the armed forces”.
“We have to tell the great people of Iran that we won’t let the United States’ plots to be successful. People of Iran! Be sure that we won’t let a bunch of anti-Iranians who have gathered today in the White House to hatch plots against us,” he continued.
The President also added: “The White House will not be happy after today’s session but they will be extremely sad, because today’s session will end in the highest unity between the parliament, the government and the judiciary, between the three branches and the armed forces under the supervision of the Supreme Leader”.
“We are neither afraid of the United States, not the problems,” said the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding: “We will overcome all these problems”.
Stating that the government was able to decrease smuggling from $25 billion to $12.5 billion in just over four years, he said: “Fighting smuggling is not merely what the government must do, but everyone must work together”.
President Rouhani added fight against smuggling is possible only through united efforts by all organizations.
He stressed that his government came up with related pieces of legislation to stop smuggling of goods and Forex.
Rouhani also said that we are not afraid of the U.S. plots; Iranian people have to know these plots will be foiled and we will leave behind this period successfully .
On the continuation of banking sanctions against Iran despite implementation of the nuclear deal (JCPOA), he said: “JCPOA was to tell the world that our peaceful nuclear activities, -which some were saying was not peaceful, based on which they passed a lot of resolutions against Iran, saying that Iran’s nuclear programme is dangerous for world peace and security- did not pose any threat to peace and security”.
“JCPOA was struck so that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) encourage all countries to help Iran instead of speaking about sanctions. Today, in spite of the past resolutions of the Security Council which used to consider Iran a threat to peace and security, Resolution 2231 indicates that Iran has the right to have nuclear activities and calls on the world to help Iran”.
In JCPOA, we had achievements that will be here forever, he said, adding: “JCPOA achievements are international, political and moral. We removed PMD. These are achievements that are there. We reduced sanctions that were saying that Iran has no right to sell and buy weapons to 5 years, 2.5 years of which has passed”.
He also said that the nuclear deal had benefits for the economy of the country, continuing: “If there was a doubt about this until yesterday, today, we have no doubt about these benefits. Today that foreign companies are leaving Iran, it means that they have come to Iran someday”.
“Sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear activities were removed after signing the nuclear deal and its implementation, but some sanctions are imposed by the US and some are related to the banking system. Despite these, we have relations with 300 banks,” continued Dr Rouhani.
The President also added: “Iran is a country against money laundering and terrorism and these are important for us. Therefore, your bills can help us a lot in banking relations”.
Regarding employment, the President said: “In employment, the report card of the 11th and 12thGovernments is excellent in a way that in a few countries can be found. In the past 5 years, net employment rate has been 2.7 million people and this a great honour for us”.
Posing the question of “What happened in a country where in its election time Trump travelled to the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia and people marked a point in history and inflicted a massive damage to Trump and the few small countries around him? Why things changed suddenly?” he said: “The December protests created the greed in Trump to announce that ‘I will pull out of the deal, unless Europe and others accompany me regarding the situation in the region and missile issues, and if they don’t accompany me, I will withdraw from it one-sidedly”.
President Hassan Rouhani appeared before the Parliament today to answer five questions raised by 82 lawmakers.
