"Big and Western powers who are after their own interests in the region and seek to get their claws on the resources of Muslim countries, particularly in the oil and gas sectors, have always followed two ominous goals, namely to deepen divisions among Muslims and to spread Islamophobia in the world,” President Rouhani said, addressing the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran.
The Iranian president reiterated the importance of improving the notion of "dialog and interaction” in the Muslim world, particularly in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain and Libya.
"The Iranian government and nation have made it clear to the world that they are after moderation by adopting a policy of balance and prudence,” Rouhani said.
Elsewhere in his speech, President Rouhani touched on the country’s success in hammering out a breakthrough nuclear deal with the major world powers, saying the agreement was a contributing factor in nullifying the efforts to foment Iranophobia.
"One of the most important results of the Geneva nuclear deal is that the world’s public opinion realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran and our Muslim people have nothing to hide in the field of the nuclear technology,” he added.
Iran and Group 5+1 (the US, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany) on November 24 signed a six-month deal on Tehran’s nuclear program based on which the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to freeze parts of its nuclear activities and to allow more inspection of its nuclear facilities.
The two sides have also agreed that the landmark nuclear deal would come into force on January 20, with all the negotiating parties gearing up to take balanced, proportional steps in a period of six months to pave the way for a final solution.
The 27th International Islamic Unity Conference opened in Tehran on Friday, bringing together local and international officials, intellectuals and scholars.
Participants at the three-day event discuss a whole range of issues, including Muslim unity and the ongoing challenges in the Muslim world.
Some of 370 foreign guests attending the conference from 50 world countries include those from , Russia, Greece, Iraq, Malaysia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,Algeria, Thailand the US, the UK, Australia, Uganda, Tunisia, Netherlands, Qatar, Yemen and Egypt.