‘World must withstand White House bullying’ Hassan Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani

Hassan Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stresses the importance of boosting unity and trust, saying all countries must withstand the White House officials’ bullying.

Rouhani made the remarks in Tehran yesterday during a meeting between Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and state officials as well as ambassadors of Muslim countries on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr — which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

“Today, people and countries across the world, Iran’s trade partners, Europe, Russia, China, neighbours, Muslims and all countries must withstand the bullying of White House rulers,” the Iranian president said.

He added that the enemy has currently no experience and wisdom, saying, “The enemy’s decision is to violate not only its commitments vis-à-vis the Iranian nation but all its regional and international obligations.”

It is surprising that a power that has killed people in the region, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, is speaking about peace and negotiations, he said.

The Iranian president added that the president of the Zionist regime of Israel, which is killing people every day, is roaming around in a bid to portray a false image of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people.

The regime in Israel has lobbied for European countries to follow the example of the US President Donald Trump and pull out of a landmark nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, and to force European firms to pull out of Iran.

The Israeli prime minister made a three-day trip to Germany, France and Britain earlier this month and held talks with leaders of the three European signatories to the JCPOA.

The US president announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Meanwhile, the United States says tough sanctions will remain in place against North Korea until its complete denuclearisation.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump has been “incredibly clear” about the sequencing of denuclearisation and relief from the sanctions.

“We are going to get complete denuclearisation; only then will there be relief from the sanctions,” Pompeo told reporters after meeting with South Korea’s president and Japan’s foreign minister in Seoul on Thursday.

According to North Korean state media, the country’s leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump had agreed during their Singapore summit held June 12 on the principle of “step-by-step and simultaneous action” to achieve peace and denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.

Pompeo said step-by-step “sequencing” meant that “denuclearisation” will take place first, and will then be followed by “sanctions relief.”

During the summit, Kim conditioned denuclearisation upon the cessation of hostility between Pyongyang and Washington.

The statement issued at the end of the summit provided no details as to when North Korea would renounce its nuclear weapons or how the dismantling might be verified.

Media reports suggested that South Korea and Japan were worried that the lifting of sanctions on the North would ease pressure on Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, a senior South Korean presidential official said on Friday that the presence of US military forces in South Korea was not subject to the Washington-Pyongyang negotiations and that it was a matter related to the US-South Korean alliance.

“Let me be clear. There has been no discussion and no change in position on the matter of the issue of US troops in South Korea,” said the senior South Korean official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official also said there had been discussions between North Korea and the United States before Tuesday’s summit about completing an “early” denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The high-level official did not elaborate.

The official said the summit had “jump-started” the stalled denuclearisation talks.

On Wednesday, Trump said the United States was stopping its “provocative” and expensive joint military exercises with South Korea to facilitate denuclearisation talks with North Korea.

North Korea sees the joint war games, which include land, naval and air drills as well as cyber warfare as a threat to its national security.
Around 28 500 US troops are stationed in South Korea. — PressTV.

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