President Raisi’s Proposal at Doha Gas Summit:

International Resistance to Cruel U.S. Sanctions

Date: 22 February 2022 - 22:03

News ID: ۱۰۰۳۲۵

DOHA (Dispatches) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday urged the international community to resist U.S. unilateral “cruel sanctions” against other countries’ oil and gas industry.
Speaking at the sixth summit of the 11-member Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha, Raisi noted that imposing hegemonic will and demands on other independent states through sanctions cannot be an effective strategy in today’s world.
Iran, as one of the world’s biggest holders of natural gas reserves, has considerable capacities for the production, transfer and export of the hydrocarbon products and seeks to play a greater role in ensuring global energy security by expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighbors and other countries, he said.
Iran’s regional strategy is based on increasing gas production and exports and providing regional nations with maximum access to clean fuel, Raisi added.
The Iranian president called on the international community to support multilateral initiatives aimed at ensuring security of sustainable energy supply and protecting the environment.
“Despite the cruel, unilateral, and illegal U.S. sanctions, the Islamic Republic has been able to increase its natural gas production and implement large and valuable projects in the oil and gas sectors by relying on the capabilities of its dedicated experts and using domestic companies and localized technical knowledge,” he said.
Addressing a meeting of Iranians residing in Qatar late Monday, President Raisi said the Islamic Republic has made significant progress in various fields, including those under the most severe sanctions and pressure.
“Today, that progress has prompted U.S. authorities to officially acknowledge that the policy of maximum pressure has suffered a disgraceful defeat in the face of the maximum resistance of the Iranian nation.”
On Tuesday, the president said the presence of the United States and other foreign powers lie at the root of insecurity in the region.
“Wherever we see insecurity in the region, we can see the footprints and traces of the presence and intervention of foreigners, especially the U.S. Therefore, the main solution to the problems and insecurity in the region is to cut off the hand of the United States and foreigners from the region,” Raisi said in a meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The Iranian president also commended the Algerian people’s resistance against excessive demands of the arrogant powers.

“Your country’s opposition to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s membership in the African Union as a supervisory member was a valuable move in support of the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people and the liberation of al-Quds,” he told Tebboune.

The Algerian president, for his part, expressed his country’s keenness to expand ties with Iran in various fields and called for making use of bilateral capacities to increase interactions.

Tebboune reiterated Algeria’s support for the oppressed Palestinian people and opposition to the occupying regime of Israel’s observer status at the African Union and said Algiers would strongly continue this path, despite the heavy price it has paid in seeking justice.

Separately, Raisi hailed Iran and Venezuela for standing against Western domination and imperialism, saying the most valuable asset of the two countries is their people who have decided to withstand the hegemonic powers’ excessive demands.

In a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia Gonzalez, the Iranian president hailed Venezuela for managing to overcome sanctions with support of its people and through resistance and planning despite intense pressures from the West.

Raisi expressed Tehran’s readiness to expand bilateral cooperation with Caracas in various fields.

“Countries such as Venezuela and Iran, more important than their oil and gas reserves, have decided to resist excessive demands of the West. This is our countries’ biggest asset,” the Iranian president said.

Raisi also said relations between Iran and Venezuela are strategic that must be vigorously upheld. He said agreements signed between the two countries in the past should be implemented and operationalized as soon as possible.

Gonzalez, for his part, underscored Venezuela’s strong opposition to U.S. imperialism.

“The United States wants all nations to abide by its wishes but the Venezuelan people have stood firm against Washington’s aspirations and will not allow it to obstruct Venezuela’s leadership role in the Latin American nations’ fight for their rights and freedom,” he said.

Raisi’s visit was the first to Qatar by an Iranian president in 11 years. Earlier, Qatar and Iran signed 14 memoranda of understanding in the fields of aviation, trade, shipping, media, cancellation of visa requirements, electricity, standards, education and culture.

“We view this visit as a step towards activating diplomacy with neighbors, especially Persian Gulf countries, and to use their capacities to develop political and economic ties,” Raisi said early Monday.

“Iran seeks to enhance these relations as our goal is regional convergence,” said the Iranian president in joint remarks with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar has good ties with Iran, with which it shares a giant gas field. Tehran supported Doha after Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies imposed a boycott on Qatar in mid-2017.