Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani will depart New York for Tehran on Monday, cutting short his visit for the United Nations General Assembly meetings so that he can take part in a ceremony for the Iranians killed in a stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Rouhani, meanwhile, gave a speech to the United Nations for the first time since Tehran edged in from the cold after signing a landmark deal with world powers over its nuclear program.
“Our policy is to continue our peace-seeking efforts in the region based on the same win-win principle, and act in a way that would lead to all in the region and world benefitting from these new conditions”, he said.
He said the deal, finalized in July, marked a “new chapter” in Iran’s dealings with the world, so his swipe at the United States was striking. “Peace alongside development lets anger and resentment dissipate”.
When asked about Rouhani’s commentary, Secretary of State John Kerry said that he had “yet to hear directly” about the proposal. “The only way to uproot terrorism in the Middle East is to undermine its economic and social causes”.
Rouhani said the USA approach, which he characterized as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and support for “the Zionist regime” – Israel – gives terrorists “justification for their actions”.
The Iranian President said that Iran has no problem with discussing what comes after ending the threat of terrorism in Syria, but he also stressed that the Syrian must be involved in drafting a plan of action in this regard.
Attempts to persuade Iran, a key ally of the Assad regime, to speak to Damascus to help end the Syrian civil war are looking more positive as relations between Iran and the West have become stronger.
There are also thorny bilateral issues between Washington and Tehran that remain unaddressed. While Congressional Republicans have said Iran can not be trusted to abide by the terms of an agreement, some Iranians have criticized the agreement as bowing to American pressure. “This is something that only the likes of Saddam Hussein would do”, he reportedly said. “Many who had come together in the spiritual gatheringhajjunfortunately fell victims to incompetence and mismanagement of those in charge”, Rouhani said, adding that Saudi “unaccountability” has prevented identifying the missing people and the return of dead bodies to Iran.
Rouhani’s United Nations speech reprised the same themes he raised during three meetings he held over the weekend with journalists, Iranian Americans, and scholars who specialize in the Middle East. Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati was sentenced to death in 2012 for espionage, waging war against God and of corrupting the earth; Saeed Abedini was arrested in Iran in 2012, charged with attempting to undermine the government.