Iran Press/Iran news: Hassan Rouhani, speaking in the weekly cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, said, "We have always been in favour of interaction and we are looking for interaction. That is why we have not withdrawn from the nuclear agreement and we planned to reduce our commitments step by step."
US seeks to polarize the region and plunder the wealth of the nations
Elsewhere, President Rouhani stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is always ready to establish friendly and brotherly relations with all Islamic states, especially its neighbours, saying, "The objectives that major world powers, especially the United States, are pursuing in this region are simply to create divisions and to empty the treasuries of Islamic countries.".
Rouhani added: "All propaganda about a new coalition in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are impractical and superficial. Without a doubt, if a part of this propaganda is put into action, they will not be beneficial for the security of the region."
Addressing Persian Gulf littoral states, he said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to ensure the security of the historical region alongside its littoral states, as it has done so throughout history."
Rouhani stated that there is no need for foreign forces in the Persian Gulf to ensure the security of the region, because regional states can ensure the security of the region with unity, integrity and dialogue.
The president went on to describe the Zionist Regime's efforts for being present in the region absurd and said, "We have a clear response to these efforts; the Israelis had better ensure the security of where they are! They have brought about insecurity, massacre and terror wherever they were present. The main cause of terrorism, war and massacre in this region is the Zionists and the usurper Israeli regime."
"To settle a regional and international problem, all axes of power need to join hands, because a single power cannot bring the problem to an end; therefore, the political, security, social, cultural and economic powers need to stand together," he said.
President Rouhani referred to the unity among all bodies for ending the Iran-Iraq war and added, "Negotiations between Iran and Iraq were very important. Of course, at the first place, responding to Saddam's first letter and recognising if the letter was really from Saddam or if, basically, negotiating with Saddam would be effective or not were very complicated."
Referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Iran's decision to reduce its commitments, he said, "In the recent days, the Americans have recognised the importance of another part of the deal and understood that if the JCPOA continues until next year, all arms embargos will be lifted."
"We exercised a strategic patience for a year, but because we did not achieve our desired result, we put creating balance on the agenda," he said.
The President continued, "In the meantime, we will continue negotiations. We have always believed that we should never run from interaction and negotiation. Of course, the conditions need to be ripe for negotiation and settling issues."
He continued, "We are seeking to achieve a bigger purpose by reducing our commitments. Of course, some have misunderstood this and think that interaction has not yielded results, and we have chosen another way."
Iran is active in foreign policy, he said, adding, "We are negotiating with neighbouring countries and others in the world to strengthen our relations. But if we do not achieve our goals after the second 60 days, we will definitely begin the third step. We will also wait another 60 days for reaching a logical, balanced solution."
Dr Rouhani also said, "Today, we have entered an imposed war, and the enemy has imposed it on us; we were not the party to start this war, we did not exit the JCPOA, but we lived up to our commitments, which the IAEA has endorsed."
"Withdrawing unilaterally from the JCPOA is a historic failure for the United States, and it is an honour to be committed to one's signature and commitment," he said.
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