Tehran, YJC. The president has condemned the Western sanctions against Iran as illegal and illegitimate.
Speaking
before the 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek,
Hassan Rouhani said "The majority of the members of the UN, including the 120 NAM
states, have denounced the illegitimate, illegal, and political sanctions
against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Imposing these sanctions is an uncivilized
action and a dangerous heterodoxy which, by targeting common, innocent Iranians,
intends to hinder the developmental progress of Iran.”
The
president asserted "Iran, itself the main victim of chemical weapons, strongly
opposes the production, storage, and application of these weapons; demanding
the eradication of all mass destruction weapons in the area. It therefore
recognizes the Russian initiative a suitable start toward that goal. We also
believe that the armament of extremist and Takfiri groups, and especially their
access to chemical weapons, is the most serious threat to regional peace and
security and it must be considered in all plans. Also, all efforts to reach a
political solution must condemn and nullify all resort to threat and force.”
He added
that Iran recognizes disarmament and the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons
necessary for international peace and, according to its legal responsibilities,
religious teachings, and strategic considerations, is faithful to the Non-Proliferation
Treaty.
The
president of the Islamic Republic of Iran then pointed to the recent
developments in Palestine and Syria, saying "The human catastrophe of Syria is
solvable only through a political procedure and by negotiations between the Syrian
government and its Syrian opposition, devoid of foreign military interference. All
influential parties must help such a constructive negotiation such as Iran does.”