NourNews – Iran – The world should know that the situation has changed with the epic presence of the dear Iranian people (at the polls), and this is a new situation and condition facing the world,” Rayeesi told reporters in Tehran on Monday in his first press conference after election as Iran’s new president.
Iran’s President-elect Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi said on Monday that his government will pursue a balanced foreign policy based on national interests, adding that although nuclear talks with the world powers will continue, it won’t be a gravity point of his administration’s foreign policy.
“The world should know that the situation has changed with the epic presence of the dear Iranian people (at the polls), and this is a new situation and condition facing the world,” Rayeesi told reporters in Tehran on Monday in his first press conference after election as Iran’s new president.
He noted that the US maximum pressure policy against the Iranian people has failed, and added, “They (Washington) should do a revision and return (to the nuclear deal).”
“The world should know that our government’s foreign policy does not start by the nuclear deal and it will not be limited to the nuclear deal,” Rayeesi said.
“We will pursue interaction with the whole world and all the world states under broad and balanced interaction in foreign policy, and only those negotiations which ensure national interests are definitely supported, but we will not tie economic situation and people’s conditions to the negotiations,” he added.
“We will not allow negotiations for negotiations and will not allow negotiations to turn into talks of attrition, but every meeting should be accompanied by results,” the president-elect stressed.
“We will continue contacts if they yield results for the people in line with lifting restrictions and sanctions and verification of the sactions removal,” he added.
Asked about his government’s policy towards the nuclear deal, Rayeesi said, “European countries and the US should look at what they have done towards the nuclear deal; the US violated the nuclear deal and the Europeans did not fulfill their undertakings.”
“We tell the US that it is duty-bound to lift all sanctions and that it should return and implement its undertakings. The Europeans should not be influenced by the US pressure and should act upon what they have promised. This is the Iranian nation’s demand from them,” he underlined.
Asked if he will change the composition of Iran’s negotiating team with the Group 4+1 (China, Russia, Britain and France plus Germany), Rayeesi said, “The negotiating team will continue its task. Our foreign policy team is also reviewing the work of the dear negotiators. The US has an undertaking to lift all cruel sanctions against the Iranian people. Lifting sanctions and their verification will be the focus of our foreign policy.”
He also dismissed talks on regional and missile issues, asking how the US and Europeans expect Iran to enter talks on new issues while they have not implemented their undertakings under an accord which had earlier been negotiated and agreed upon.
Asked about his policy towards the nuclear deal and the US return to the agreement, Rayeesi said, “What has been the policy of the Islamic Republic and has been repeatedly stated is that our nuclear measures are peaceful and in accordance with the regulations that this science and know-how has in various fields of industry, agriculture and medicine. The Islamic Republic’s moves have so far been adopted within the framework of laws and regulations as declared by the international organizations.”
He also dismissed the possibility for direct talks with US President Joe Biden.
Elsewhere, he underlined his efforts to defend the Iranian people’s rights, security and tranquility as well as human rights in his previous posts, saying that those who have created the terrorist groups, including the ISIL, should be questioned and put on trial to let establish peace in the world.
Rayeesi also referred to the European states’ sheltering and support for the Albania-based Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO, also known as MEK, NCRI or PMOI) terrorist group, and said, “How could those who claim to be advocates of human rights account to the world public opinion for sheltering those who have officially announced that they have killed 17,000 people in Iran, including the oppressed martyr Ayatollah Dr. Beheshti (late judiciary chief assassinated by the MKO).”
Asked about future of ties with China, he said, “We have been pursuing relations with China in different administrations since the onset of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and today we have good relations with China and there are lots of potentials in the two countries. We will definitely work to revive these capacities and we will definitely have very good relations with China and the comprehensive plan [roadmap for strategic cooperation] will be one of the documents which definitely be on agenda for implementation.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rayeesi said that there is no obstacle on Iran’s part to reopen the Iranian and Saudi embassies in the two countries.
“We have declared relations with all countries, specially the neighboring states, and our priority will be the neighbors,” the president-elect said.
Yet, Rayeesi also underlined Iran’s permanent support for the oppressed Yemeni people, and said, “Yemen should be ruled by the Yemenis themselves as soon as possible and any interference by the Saudis and their supporters should stop.”
Asked about the Palestinian issue, he said, “In Iran’s view, the Palestinians own Palestine, and before the Zionist regime feels threatened by us, it should fear the Palestinian people and the resistance groups.”
Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced on Saturday afternoon that Rayeesi has been elected as the new president of the country with 17,926,345 votes cast in his favor in the June 28 elections.
“Of the total number of eligible voters, which was 59,310,307, the total number of votes cast was 28,933,004, which shows a turnout of 48.8%,” Rahmani Fazli told reporters.
“Mr. Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi, with 17, 926, 345 votes, stood first and was elected as the president,” he added.
Rahmani Fazli said that Mohsen Rezayee Mir Qa’ed gained 3,412,712 votes, Abdolnasser Hemmati received 2,427,201 votes and Seyed Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi earned 999,718 votes and the rest of the votes are considered invalid which includes 3,726,870 votes.
Shortly after the early results, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials as well as different world leaders felicitated Rayeesi on election.
