Zarif:

Iran’s Power Rests Upon People

TEHRAN (defapress) – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Iranian establishment’s might relies on people, describing popular support as the basic principle of the Islamic Republic.

News ID: 75565

Date: 13 February 2019 - 11:05

“People are the pillar of this establishment’s power, that is why respecting the rights of people is not only a moral issue, but a necessity for national security,” Zarif said in an address to a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday about Iran's foreign policy in the past four decades.

“We are nothing without people and everything with them, this is the basic principle of the Islamic Republic. We could achieve and preserve our independence, development, security and calm by relying on people,” he said.

He pointed to Iran’s support for regional nations, saying, “We take pride in the resistance of people in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. We are proud of the Palestinian resistance. We are proud that we are under pressure because of Palestine, because those who allied themselves with the Zionist regime have no place in the region.”

Zarif also noted that all US plots against Iran have failed over the past 40 years thanks to the nation’s steadfastness in the face of Washington’s pressure tactics that have always proved to have reverse outcomes for the US.

“It is necessary for all those friends who are pursuing Iran’s foreign policy to realize that we owe everything to these people. Our attitude towards security is based on domestic development and progress, and the more they exert pressure on us, the more we will rely on the nation,” he stressed.

Putting more pressure on Iran would merely make the nation more steadfast and united against foreign threats, the foreign minister underlined, adding, “Not only do we not need foreign support to provide security, but also our progress and development stems from inside despite foreign pressure.”

Zarif underlined that the Islamic Republic poses no threat to any country and welcomes efforts to develop international relations, saying that Iran does not seek to engage in any war with any state but will strongly defend itself against all threats.

He further criticized US National Security Adviser John Bolton's remarks in a meeting with the notorious MKO terrorist group in Paris in July 2017, when he bragged that US policies will lead to the 1979 Islamic Revolution's demise months before "its 40th birthday".

Earlier on Tuesday, Zarif highlighted the US failures over the past 40 years after US President Donald Trump shared his perception of Iran’s performance during the same period.

“40 Years of Failure to accept that Iranians will never return to submission. 40 Years of Failure to adjust US policy to reality. 40 Years of Failure to destabilize Iran through blood & treasure,” Zarif tweeted.

Message end/