Ebrahim Raisi said in a speech at the UN that the country does not seek to obtain nuclear weapons
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi used his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday (September 21, 2022) to criticize US participation in the 2015 nuclear deal. Raisi said the United States “stepped on” in the treaty in 2018 upon exiting the agreement.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking to build or obtain nuclear weapons, and such weapons have no place in our doctrine.“, he stated.
Ebrahim Rasi was sworn in in August 2021 and spoke for the 2nd time at the UN General Assembly as head of state. He performed virtually in 2021 due to the restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the speech focused on accusations of “hegemony” and “oppression” from the USA. Both states severed diplomatic ties in 1979, when a group seized the US embassy in Tehran.
“The US cannot accept that some nations have the right to stand on their own feet and continue to confuse militarism with security“, said the Iranian leader. He stressed, however, that Iran is taking the negotiations seriously to revive the deal and questioned whether it can expect the same from its negotiators.
Raisi reiterated that he demands US guarantees for the resumption of the nuclear deal, signed in 2015 with China, the US, France, the UK, Russia and Germany, to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Former US President Donald Trump reinstated sanctions on the country in 2018. As a result, Iran resumed some of its nuclear activity. Now, Joe Biden is trying to re-establish the treaty. Raisi said Iran will not come up with any better proposals for this renewal.
He called the imposed sanctions “punishment to the people of Iran” and “a weapon of mass destruction“, maintaining the critical tone of his speech during the 2021 Assembly. On the occasion, he considered sanctions as illegal and a “organized crime against humanity“.
“It was the US that left the deal, not Iran.“, he added, saying that his country complied with all the requirements of the treaty and was still punished. “Iran has remained true to all our commitments“.
Despite calling it “double standard” the US stance on women’s rights by “focus only on one side, not all“, Raisi did not mention the growing protests in the country since the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old was detained by Iranian police for not using the traditional Islamic veil to cover her head, and she died.
“Human rights belong to everyone, but unfortunately they are trampled on by some governments. Native tribes of Canada whose bodies of hundreds of their children were found in mass graves at a school; the rights of Palestinians, the right to life of those who have been victims of terrorism. All this shows that the roles of the accuser and the accused must not be judged only as represented by some“, said.
Raisi said that Iran is “human rights defender” and emphasized the country’s role in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq.
Another striking point in Raisi’s speech was the mention of the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, killed in an attack ordered by then-President Trump in January 2020. The head of state even showed the general’s photo to the Assembly.
The assassination, which Iran’s president called “wild crime” and “illegal”, sharply escalated tensions with the US.
“A man who sought freedom and became a martyr on the way to obtain freedom for the nations of the region [oriente]“, he said, referring to Soleimani. “We will seek a fair trial for those who murdered our dear general“.
This report was produced by journalism intern Luisa Guimarães under the supervision of assistant editor Lorenzo Santiago.
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