Rouhani: Iran Achieved Great Victory at UN
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday declared "victory” over the United States after the UN Security Council rejected the Trump administration’s bid to reimpose UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
"The Iranian nation has achieved great political, legal and diplomatic success at the United Nations,” Rouhani told a televised weekly meeting of his cabinet.
"The reason for this victory lies solely in the support and resistance of the people,” he said. "America’s greatness has collapsed (just like) the global hegemony they thought they had.”
In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions. Since breaking from the accord, the United States has slapped wave after wave of sanctions on Iran in order to hurt its economy.
In retaliation since May 2019, Iran has gradually reduced its commitments to the 2015 nuclear treaty known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Tehran says its response has been in line with the JCPOA, but Washington sought a "snapback” of UN sanctions on Iran at the Security Council.
The U.S. insisted it was still a "participant” in the JCPOA despite its pullout, but that was rejected by virtually every other member of the Security Council
"This is a victory not just for Iran, but for the global community – during the transitional international order in the post-Western world – that an aspirant of hegemony is humiliated in such self-created isolation,” Rouhani said Tuesday, addressing world leaders at the UN General Assembly’s annual debate.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe would "not compromise” with the U.S. over its move to reactivate the sanctions.
He said the United States’ maximum pressure campaign on Iran has so far failed. "This is why France, along with its German and British partners, will maintain its demand for the full implementation of the 2015 Vienna Agreement.”
Rouhani said the U.S. launched a full-blown economic war on Iran a few years ago based on miscalculations and illusions as did former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Two and a half years ago, the U.S. began an economic war against Iran based on illusions and wrong miscalculations. Their aim was to block all economic paths to Iran,” said the president.
He said the U.S. has failed to achieve its objectives like Saddam Hussein, who imposed an eight-year war on Iran, was unable to fulfill his goal of toppling the Iranian establishment.
"Like Saddam Hussein, the Americans were of the conviction that they would enter Tehran a few months after launching an economic war, and they were under the delusion that a red carpet would be rolled out for them at Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports,” he said.
"Like Saddam Hussein, the Americans’ first goal was to oust the Islamic Republic of Iran’s system and, at least, tear up and destroy Resolution 2231, but they failed to attain any of those objectives,” he said.
Rouhani said it is unprecedented in U.S. history that the Americans take a plan to the UN Security Council after months of arrangements, and finally fail.
"Indonesia, Niger, Tunisia and 13 UN Security Council members bravely stood up to the U.S. whereby America’s grandeur was shattered,” the president said.
President Rouhani vowed Tuesday that the next U.S. leader must accept Tehran’s demands, ruling out compromise as Donald Trump vies for reelection.
"We are not a bargaining chip in U.S. elections and domestic policy,” Rouhani said in his virtual address to the UN General Assembly.
"Any U.S. administration after the upcoming elections will have no choice but to surrender to the resilience of the Iranian nation.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif on Monday also ruled out any renegotiation of the 2015 accord, which he had brokered over exhaustive talks with his then counterpart John Kerry.
"The United States can impose neither negotiations nor war on us. Life is hard under sanctions. However, harder is life without independence,” Rouhani said.
"And for the world: Today is the time to say ‘no’ to bullying and arrogance.
"The era of dominance and hegemony is long over. Our nations and children deserve a better and safer world based on the rule of law.”
Trump ramped up efforts Monday by saying he was imposing "UN” sanctions, defying virtually the entire Security Council which says he has no such authority.
Macron said, "We will not compromise on the activation of a mechanism that the United States is not in a position to activate on its own after leaving the agreement.”
"This would undermine the unity of the Security Council and the integrity of its decisions, and it would run the risk of further aggravating tensions in the region,” he warned.
Trump made clear in his own address that the United States was out of the nuclear deal.
UN inspectors say Iran was in compliance with the restrictions on its nuclear program under the accord, but the Trump administration says its priority is to counter Iran throughout the region and boost the occupying regime of Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"The Iranian nation has achieved great political, legal and diplomatic success at the United Nations,” Rouhani told a televised weekly meeting of his cabinet.
"The reason for this victory lies solely in the support and resistance of the people,” he said. "America’s greatness has collapsed (just like) the global hegemony they thought they had.”
In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions. Since breaking from the accord, the United States has slapped wave after wave of sanctions on Iran in order to hurt its economy.
In retaliation since May 2019, Iran has gradually reduced its commitments to the 2015 nuclear treaty known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Tehran says its response has been in line with the JCPOA, but Washington sought a "snapback” of UN sanctions on Iran at the Security Council.
The U.S. insisted it was still a "participant” in the JCPOA despite its pullout, but that was rejected by virtually every other member of the Security Council
"This is a victory not just for Iran, but for the global community – during the transitional international order in the post-Western world – that an aspirant of hegemony is humiliated in such self-created isolation,” Rouhani said Tuesday, addressing world leaders at the UN General Assembly’s annual debate.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe would "not compromise” with the U.S. over its move to reactivate the sanctions.
He said the United States’ maximum pressure campaign on Iran has so far failed. "This is why France, along with its German and British partners, will maintain its demand for the full implementation of the 2015 Vienna Agreement.”
Rouhani said the U.S. launched a full-blown economic war on Iran a few years ago based on miscalculations and illusions as did former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Two and a half years ago, the U.S. began an economic war against Iran based on illusions and wrong miscalculations. Their aim was to block all economic paths to Iran,” said the president.
He said the U.S. has failed to achieve its objectives like Saddam Hussein, who imposed an eight-year war on Iran, was unable to fulfill his goal of toppling the Iranian establishment.
"Like Saddam Hussein, the Americans were of the conviction that they would enter Tehran a few months after launching an economic war, and they were under the delusion that a red carpet would be rolled out for them at Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports,” he said.
"Like Saddam Hussein, the Americans’ first goal was to oust the Islamic Republic of Iran’s system and, at least, tear up and destroy Resolution 2231, but they failed to attain any of those objectives,” he said.
Rouhani said it is unprecedented in U.S. history that the Americans take a plan to the UN Security Council after months of arrangements, and finally fail.
"Indonesia, Niger, Tunisia and 13 UN Security Council members bravely stood up to the U.S. whereby America’s grandeur was shattered,” the president said.
President Rouhani vowed Tuesday that the next U.S. leader must accept Tehran’s demands, ruling out compromise as Donald Trump vies for reelection.
"We are not a bargaining chip in U.S. elections and domestic policy,” Rouhani said in his virtual address to the UN General Assembly.
"Any U.S. administration after the upcoming elections will have no choice but to surrender to the resilience of the Iranian nation.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif on Monday also ruled out any renegotiation of the 2015 accord, which he had brokered over exhaustive talks with his then counterpart John Kerry.
"The United States can impose neither negotiations nor war on us. Life is hard under sanctions. However, harder is life without independence,” Rouhani said.
"And for the world: Today is the time to say ‘no’ to bullying and arrogance.
"The era of dominance and hegemony is long over. Our nations and children deserve a better and safer world based on the rule of law.”
Trump ramped up efforts Monday by saying he was imposing "UN” sanctions, defying virtually the entire Security Council which says he has no such authority.
Macron said, "We will not compromise on the activation of a mechanism that the United States is not in a position to activate on its own after leaving the agreement.”
"This would undermine the unity of the Security Council and the integrity of its decisions, and it would run the risk of further aggravating tensions in the region,” he warned.
Trump made clear in his own address that the United States was out of the nuclear deal.
UN inspectors say Iran was in compliance with the restrictions on its nuclear program under the accord, but the Trump administration says its priority is to counter Iran throughout the region and boost the occupying regime of Israel and Saudi Arabia.