"The ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric, filled with ridiculously baseless
allegations, that was uttered before this august body yesterday, was not only
unfit to be heard at the United Nations – which was established to promote peace
and respect between nations – but indeed contradicted the demands of our nations
from this world body to bring governments together to combat war and terror,”
Rouhani said on Wednesday, addressing the 72nd session of the UN General
Assembly .
Donald Trump claimed during his first address to the 72nd session of the UN
General Assembly on Tuesday that Iran's "support for terror is in stark contrast
to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt
its financing".
The full text of Rouhani’s speech is as follows:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish at the outset to congratulate your election to the Presidency of the
General Assembly and Secretary-General Guterres’ election to his high office and
wish him every success in his crucial responsibilities.
Four months ago, over 41 million people—constituting 73% of Iran’s total
eligible voters—came to the polls in the country’s 12th presidential election
and once again expressed confidence in my platform, which calls for moderation
and respect for human rights and prosperity and economic revitalization at home,
and constructive engagement around the world. Their vote manifested the maturity
of the electorate in a society that has experienced free and democratic
governance for only four decades. This was not merely a vote for a president,
but a huge political investment by our population; a resilient people who truly
constitute our most reliable asset.
Human and citizens’ rights, along with the quest for justice and Islamic values,
have constituted the most pivotal demands of the Iranian people in over 150
years of struggle, and particularly in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In its
first term, while pursuing nuclear negotiations internationally, my government
focused at home on the deliberation and articulation of citizens’ rights leading
to the promulgation of "The Charter of Citizens’ Rights” and its issuance for
implementation. Adoption of this Charter conformed to the demands of a people
who rose against dictatorial regimes, aspiring to restore their rights and human
dignity 111 years ago in the Constitutional Revolution, and again in the Islamic
Revolution 39 years ago.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I declare before this august global assembly that moderation is the inclination
as well as the chosen path of the great Iranian people. Moderation seeks neither
isolation nor hegemony; It implies neither indifference, nor intransigence.
The path of moderation is the path of peace; but a just and inclusive peace: not
peace for one nation, and war and turmoil for others;
Moderation is freedom and democracy; but in an inclusive and comprehensive
manner: not purporting to promote freedom in one place while supporting
dictators elsewhere;
Moderation is the synergy of ideas and not the dance of swords;
And finally, the path of moderation nurtures beauty. Deadly-weapons exports are
not beautiful; rather, peace is.
We in Iran strive to build peace and promote the human rights of peoples and
nations. We never condone tyranny and we always defend the voiceless. We never
threaten anyone; but we do not tolerate threats from anyone. Our discourse is
one of dignity and respect, and we are unmoved by threats and intimidation. We
believe in dialogue and negotiation based on equal footing and mutual respect.
In today’s globalized world, peace, security, stability and the progress of all
nations are intertwined. It is not possible that a rogue and racist regime
trample upon the most basic rights of the Palestinians, and the usurpers of this
land enjoy security. It is simply impossible for anybody to aspire to attain
long-term stability, prosperity and development, while Muslims in Yemen, Syria,
Iraq, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Myanmar and so many other places live in misery, war
and poverty.
Mr. President,
Throughout its history, Iran has been the bastion of tolerance for various
religions and ethnicities. We are the same people who rescued the Jews from
Babylonian servitude; opened our arms to welcome Armenian Christians in our
midst, and created the "Iranian cultural continent” with a unique mix of diverse
religions and ethnicities. I represent the same Iran that has historically
assisted the oppressed: centuries ago, we supported the rights of the Jewish
people and today we insist on the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian
people. Iran is the still the same country: supporting justice and seeking
tranquility.
Today, we are on the frontlines of fighting terror and religious extremism in
the Middle east; not for sectarian or ethnic reasons, but for an ethical,
humanitarian and strategic one.
Iran does not seek to restore its ancient empire, impose its official religion
on others, or export its revolution through the force of arms. We are so
confident in the depth of our culture, the truth of our faith and tenacity and
longevity of our revolution that we will never seek to export any of them in the
way neo-colonialists do, with the heavy boots of soldiers.
To promote our culture, civilization, religion and revolution, we enter hearts
and engage minds. We recite our poetry and engage in discourse on our
philosophy.
Our ambassadors are our poets, our mystics and our philosophers. We have reached
the shores of this side of the Atlantic through Rumi and spread our influence
throughout Asia with Saadi. We have already captured the world with Hafez; we
therefore are in no need of new conquests.
Excellencies,
The call of moderation is from a nation that has been committed to it. We are
not preaching moderation, but practicing it. The JCPOA is a case in point.
The deal is the outcome of two years of intensive multilateral negotiations,
overwhelmingly applauded by the international community and endorsed by the
Security Council as a part of Resolution 2231. As such, it belongs to the
international community in its entirety, and not to only one or two countries.
The JCPOA can become a new model for global interactions; interactions based on
mutual constructive engagement between all of us. We have opened our doors to
engagement and cooperation. We have concluded scores of development agreements
with advanced countries of both East and West. Unfortunately, some have deprived
themselves of this unique opportunity. They have imposed sanctions really
against themselves, and now they feel betrayed. We were not deceived, nor did we
cheat or deceive anyone. We have ourselves determined the extent of our nuclear
program. We never sought to achieve deterrence through nuclear weapons; we have
immunized ourselves through our knowledge and – more importantly — the
resilience of our people. This is our talent and our approach. Some have claimed
to have wanted to deprive Iran of nuclear weapons; weapons that we have
continuously and vociferously rejected. And, of course, we were not and are not
distressed for forgoing an option that we in fact never sought. It is
reprehensible that the rogue Zionist regime that threatens regional and global
security with its nuclear arsenal and is not committed to any international
instrument or safeguard, has the audacity to preach peaceful nations.
Just imagine for a minute how the Middle East would look had the JCPOA not been
concluded. Imagine that along with civil wars, Takfiri terror, humanitarian
nightmares, and complex socio-political crises in West Asia, that there was a
manufactured nuclear crisis. How would we all fare?
I declare before you that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first
country to violate the agreement; but it will respond decisively and resolutely
to its violation by any party. It will be a great pity if this agreement were to
be destroyed by "rogue” newcomers to the world of politics: the world will have
lost a great opportunity. But such unfortunate behavior will never impede Iran’s
course of progress and advancement. By violating its international commitments,
the new U.S. administration only destroys its own credibility and undermines
international confidence in negotiating with it, or accepting its word or
promise.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Four years ago, the Islamic Republic of Iran sponsored the initiative of the
World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE) in this Assembly. We consider
dialogue and negotiations based on a positive-sum paradigm as the only path
towards the resolution of global and regional crises. We have made a conscious
decision to strengthen relations with our neighbors and the region, and to
enhance cooperation with all friendly countries. It is impossible to navigate
through the complex and dangerous challenges in this turbulent transitional
global phase without expanding interactions and exchanges and institutionalizing
dialogue between nations and states.
The ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric, filled with ridiculously baseless
allegations, that was uttered before this august body yesterday, was not only
unfit to be heard at the United Nations – which was established to promote peace
and respect between nations – but indeed contradicted the demands of our nations
from this world body to bring governments together to combat war and terror.
I wish to underscore here that the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, including our missiles, are solely defensive deterrents for the
maintenance of regional peace and stability and the prevention of adventurist
tendencies of irrational aspirants. We cannot forget that civilians in many of
our cities became the targets of long-range missile attacks by Saddam Hussein
during his 8-year war of aggression against us. We will never allow our people
to become victims of such catastrophic delusions again.
Instability and extremist violence have only been exacerbated in our region
through the military interventions of extra-regional actors – the same powers
that try to sell ever more of their deadly weapons to other states by accusing
Iran of fomenting instability. I want to emphasize that foreign intervention and
the imposition of alien wishes on the people of the region will only widen and
deepen the crises in our region. The crises in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain do not
have military solutions and can only be resolved through cessation of
hostilities, and the acceptance of the will and wishes of the populaces.
The United States Government should explain to its own people why, after
spending billions of dollars of the assets of the people of America and of our
region, instead of contributing to peace and stability, it has only brought war,
misery, poverty and the rise of terrorism and extremism to the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the past 4 years, Iran’s economy demonstrated that it has unparalleled
potential for expansion and growth. Economic sanctions not only did not impede
Iran, but instead solidified popular resolve to enhance domestic production.
Achieving the highest global growth rate last year proved that Iranian economy
can become the most vibrant emerging economy within the next twenty years, with
a trillion-dollar growth potential. Our strategic choice for achieving such
sustainable and balanced growth is extensive global partnership. We are of the
firm belief that development and security can only grow together, and common
interests can bind us regionally and globally to guarantee both regional and
global security.
Iran, enjoying the world’s largest gas and oil reserves, is prepared to engage
in long-term cooperation to advance global energy security. We are eager to
expand international transit corridors through joint ventures in sea, rail and
road infrastructure projects. Our achievements in enhancing economic
infrastructures in the fields of a nation-wide gas pipeline, national
electricity grid, and rail and road transport, have made it possible for various
industries to produce at lower cost, with easy access to national and regional
markets. With the current conducive legal environment, many delegations of
foreign investors have come to Iran, leading to an ever-increasing number of
investments, joint ventures and financing agreements in various fields.
It is the policy of my government to continue to steadily enhance the
entrepreneurial environment, protect intellectual property rights, continuously
improve corporate governance, and engage in a robust campaign against
money-laundering in order to enhance a conducive legal climate for business and
economic investments in various fields, particularly in knowledge-based
enterprises.
The Iranian nation is resolutely determined to build a free and advanced Iran
and participate in the development of a secure and stable region based on ethics
and respect for international law. In this endeavor, we welcome the
participation and cooperation of all investors, intellectuals and innovators
from across the globe. From this global podium, and as the representative of the
people of Iran – who are world-famous for their hospitality – I invite all those
who seek peace, security and progress through partnership and cooperation among
nations to visit Iran and join us in building this future of hope.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
If we truly believe in our collective decision four years ago here in this
General assembly to make a WAVE – a World Against Violence and Extremism – we
can turn the discourse of imposition, unilateralism, intimidation and war into
the logic of dialogue, synergy and peace so that moderation can become the
dominant voice across the globe.
I thank you for your attention.