President Raisi:

Iran’s Progress Not Tied to Frowns or Smiles

Date: 05 July 2022 - 21:58

News ID: ۱۰۴۵۰۰

TEHRAN -- President Ebrahim Raisi has pledged “no retreat” and “no pause” in the country’s scientific progress under his administration, saying the march forward will continue irrespective of the enemy’s efforts to cause otherwise.
Raeisi made the remarks in a ceremony held to praise high-achieving professors and students at the Iran University of Science and Technology Monday night.
“Once some believed in this country that we should not unveil satellites built by Iranian experts to avoid giving the enemy any excuses,” he said. “But the situation has changed today, and we will not tie the country’s scientific progress to others’ frowns or smiles.”
Noting that Iran made considerable progress in areas targeted by sanctions, Raisi added that “we are allowed to neither retreat nor pause. We have only one option and that is to make progress in all fields.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi recounted that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s defense doctrine. “We have announced this many times,” he stated.
Throughout the years, Iran has repeated ad infinitum that its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes and that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has even issued a fatwa (religious decree) declaring that the acquisition, development, and use of nuclear weapons violate Islamic principles and are therefore forbidden.
Nevertheless, Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been met with U.S.-led sanctions against the country with the intention of hampering Tehran’s technological advancements.
In his Monday remarks, Raisi further said that despite the pressure the Islamic Republic is facing, “we will not hesitate to take advantage of nuclear technologies and make progress in this regard.”
He also lamented that unlike Iranian scientists, there are scientists

in the world whose scientific achievements have resulted in authoritarianism, obliteration, or created an obstacle in the path of people’s progress.

On Tuesday, President Raisi said enhanced ties between Iran and Venezuela and active resistance against the imperialist countries will definitely lead to victory.

In a message to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Raisi said he was confident that victory would be achieved by expanding bilateral relations and making use of the model of active resistance in the face of the excessive demands of imperialist countries.

He extended his congratulations to the Venezuelan president and people on the anniversary of the country’s independence, which is reminiscent of efforts by Simon Bolivar, the late South America’s 19th century independence hero and political leader Simon Bolivar, toward the freedom of Venezuela and other Latin American states.

“This historic day is a symbol of efforts by the freedom-seeking countries to abolish colonial dominance,” Raisi said.

The Iranian president expressed hope that Tehran and Caracas would further improve “friendly and strategic” relations and implement the agreements previously reached between them.

During a visit by the Venezuelan president to Iran last month, Tehran and Caracas signed a 20-year partnership agreement aimed at bolstering cooperation in various sectors, particularly in science, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism as well as culture.