Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday said that Muslims all over the world should unite in opposition to the United States. Rouhani made his remarks as his country is facing another round of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.
“Submitting to the West headed by America would be treason against our religion … and against the future generations of this region,†Rouhani said in a speech to an international conference on Islamic unity in Tehran. The speech was broadcast live on Iranian state television.
“We have a choice to either roll out red carpets for criminals, or to forcefully stand against injustice and remain faithful to our Prophet, our Koran and our Islam,†he added.
Earlier this month, Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran that affect the country’s shipping, financial and energy sectors. The action on sanctions came several months after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration in May.
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Officials in the United States have repeatedly said that the sanctions will prevent Iran from supporting militant or terrorist groups. They also believe the sanctions will stop Iran from developing long-range ballistic missiles as well as nuclear weapons that could be used against neighbors such as Israel.
In his speech Rouhani also criticized Israel, calling it a “cancerous tumor†established by Western nations to advance their interests in the Middle East.
Through the years Iran has pledged its support to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas that have always been devoted to the destruction of Israel.
Rouhani earlier this month called the decision to reimpose sanctions “wrong and incorrect” and vowed that “Americans will definitely be defeated in this path.”
Saudi Arabia is Iran’s primary regional rival, supporting different sides of the conflict in Yemen and Syria.
“We are ready to defend the interests of the Saudi people against terrorism, aggression and the superpowers… and we don’t ask for $450 billion to do it,” Rouhani said during Saturday’s speech, in reference to the alleged arms deal between Americans and Saudis.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
