We’re ready to both defend, negotiate: Iranian President

Stressing that today, resistance and standing up to the aggressor is the only way, Iranian President said, “The Americans have designed a new plot against the Iranian nation every day during the past 40 years; yet they have failed every time and these failures will continue”.

Speaking in a cabinet session on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, “Of course, the Americans had started their serious actions against the Iranian nation since May 2019”.

The Americans have failed in their international, regional, political and advertising campaigns, he said, adding, “They have not reached their goals in the economic matter either. Of course, they can make problems for the people through their pressures, but the Iranian nation know well that there is no way other than resistance against illegal acts of the aggressors”.

“We always favour negotiation and diplomacy, as we are ready for war and defence, if they lift all pressures and apologize for their illegal acts, showing mutual respect,” added Rouhani.

He continued, “Without a doubt, accepting the demands of a bully who lies about being after negotiation will never lead anywhere and we will never negotiate with a bully; accepting such a negotiation means being humiliated”.

The President added, “The United States is not ready for negotiation at all, and what it is doing is to defeat the Iranian nation with the aim of coming back to Iran”.

“We need to prove in action that Americans and their calculations are wrong, and any time they realize they have been miscalculating, and announce readiness to negotiate through reason and logic, we are ready to do so,” said Rouhani.

Referring to Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, he said, “In that historic day, the Almighty proved the Americans that the Iranian nation is not alone”.

President Rouhani added, “The Tabas incident was a great miracle from God and foiled the Americans’ complicated plan, which was a rare kind of failure for the US”.

Today, we have good relations with most of our neighbours, said the President, adding, “There is only one or two countries that need to know what they are doing. Saudi Arabia and Emirates should know that their existence depends on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s wise decision”.

“If the leaders of Iran, the Supreme Leader and Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani did not make precise decisions during the time when Saddam attacked Kuwait, today there would be no trace of these countries,” added Rouhani.

Addressing Saudi Arabia and UAE, he also said, “Saddam kept sending many messages and requests at that time to persuade us join him in occupying Persian Gulf states. So, do not forget the great job that the wise government of the Islamic Republic of Iran did at that time”.

Dr. Rouhani added, “It was the Islamic Republic of Iran that saved Saudi Arabia, and if we made a different decision at that time, there would be no Saudi Arabia and UAE today”.

“We were the first country that condemned Saddam’s attack on Kuwait at the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, even before Saudi Arabia and Emirates, issuing an explicit statement against it,” he continued.

The President said, “It was us who defeated the terrorists in the region, but if it were not for the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, defeating terrorists would be impossible”.

“Your existence is indebted to the Islamic Republic of Iran, why do you tell Trump that if you reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, will we compensate it? Are you aware of the consequences of this statement and do you know that this means an outright hostility towards the Iranian people? Do you not know that Trump’s tenure will end, and we are going to still be here together as neighbours for many years? It's better to think of a permanent friendship in the region”.

ISNA