Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused the Trump administration of trying to undo all international institutions and slammed it for "illegally" withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, while calling on it to return to talks.
25 September 2018
"The world will not have a better friend than Iran if peace is what you seek," Rouhani said at the end of his speech.
"Iran does not need an empire. Iran is an empire in terms of its civilization and culture - not through political domination," Rouhani said.
Iran desires the formation of a "collective mechanism" for the Persian Gulf region with the participation of all regional countries, Rouhani said.
Rouhani says Iran wants better relations with Gulf states.
The "most pressing" crisis in the Middle East is the question of Palestine. "The innumerable crimes of Israel against the Palestinians" would not have been possible without the support of the US, according to Rouhani.
Iran's presence in Syria has been at the request of the Syrian government and "has aimed at assisting the Syrian government in combatting extremist terrorism."
The question of international security "is not a toy in American domestic politics," Rouhani said. "The UN is not a part of the United States administration."
Rouhani says Iran supports peace and democracy in the entire Middle East.
There is "no better way than dialogue," he said, while also stating that dialogue is a two-way street.
When it comes to international relations, the US believes that "might makes right," Rouhani said.
Washington's behavior in international relations is authoritarian, according to Rouhani.
The Iranian people have demonstrated their resilience over the past 40 years, and they can overcome this "difficult phase" as well.
Iran's multi-millennial history shows that Iran has never broken in the "face of a storm of events," Rouhani said.
Tehran is pleased that the international community did not follow Washington's "illegal" action of withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, Rouhani said.
It is "ironic" that the US government "does not try to conceal its plan for "overthrowing" the Iranian government – the same government it is inviting to talks, Rouhani said.
Rouhani addressed the US President Donald Trump administration, saying: "The government of the United States of America, at least the current administration, seems determined to render all international institutions ineffectual."
"Confronting multilateralism is not a sign of strength; rather it is a symptom of the weakness of intellect," Rouhani said, adding that it "betrays an inability in understanding a complex and interconnected world."
"This illusion should be cast away once and for all, that one can aspire to securing more peace and security at the cost of denying others peace and security," Rouhani said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has taken to the podium to address the UN General Assembly, hours after US President Donald Trump accused Tehran of sowing "chaos, death, and destruction."
READ MORE: Trump slams Iran, illegal immigration, globalism during UNGA speech