Mehr News – Addressing cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Iranian President Rouhani touched upon the Sunday quake in western Iran, US role in the Middle East, and the Lebanese crisis.
“A huge earthquake, which was quite unprecedented, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, struck the western regions of the country including Kermanshah province,” President Hassan Rouhani opened his address to government cabinet on Wednesday. He made the remarks one day after paying visit to quake-hit areas where he met with victims’ families and visited hospitals to get updated about the latest status of rescue efforts in Kermanshah Province. The late Sunday earthquake which hit mainly villages and cities in Kermanshah province has claimed the lives of around 400 people and left around 9000 injured and wounded.
President Rouhani continued that occurrence of such earthquakes will be harmful and dangerous for any country in the world entailing huge problems adding, “In our country also many villages have been seriously affected by the disaster.” “Incidents like earthquake have lessons for all of us how to help each other and stay together,” said the Iranian top executive.
Offering gratitude to the philanthropic sympathies and helps extended by Iranians for the quake-struck compatriots, Mr. Rouhani said, “On such occasions, it is important to keep our comradeship, brotherhood, patriotism, and love for Islam and the brave, devote, and heroic people of Kermanshah were pioneers in this regard.”
The Iranian president also appreciated all state and military people involved in the rescue efforts and referring to his Tuesday visit of the quake hit areas named the medical personnel in hospitals of the region as hard-working personnel who were relentlessly trying to serve the injured of the incident. “Around 300 medical operations had been conducted by yesterday and you could have read the pain and tiredness in the face of the doctors, medics, and nurses in Shahid Taleghani hospital where I visited yesterday,” mentioned Mr. Rouhani.
“At the top of our objectives is to do something to relieve the pain of the people of the region and today we will adopt new decision in this regard at our meeting,” reassured the Iranian head of state. He also thanked Iranian Leader’s remarks made on Tuesday and ascertained that the government will do its best considering the issues emphasized by Ayatollah Khamenei.
Mr. President also pointed to the recent regional developments and called for vigilance of all sides. “Today, the region’s status have got more critical than any other time and we are all urged to be more watchful,” underlined the Iranian president.
Mr. Rouhani stated that some in the region used to think that keeping superpowers in the region will bring peace and security and that was the reason why some were reliant on US, UK, and cross regional powers. “Today it has become known to everybody that superpowers’ presence in the region has had no benefit for the region,” stressed the Iranian head of state.
“The superpowers presence in the region is only for marketing their weapons, interfering in the regional market, and manipulating the oil price,” said Mr. Rouhani, “and they have always sought their malevolent objectives with giving no thought to the interests and benefits of the people of the region entailing nothing except trouble or predicament for the region.”
“Whenever American officials have visited the region, immediately the region has been caught by war, fire, and tension,” asserted Mr. Rouhani, “With foreigners’ interference great wars broke in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria and they have put Yemen in a big mess.”
“Is anybody caring about the people of Yemen and delivering his responsibility to humanity?” Mr. Rouhani asked rhetorically, lamenting the situation of Yemeni people under the Saudi-posed blockade. “It is some years that the defenseless people of Yemen are grappling with problems caused by poverty, ceaseless bombardments, and diseases,” highlighted Mr. Rouhani, “Why is a Muslim country self-proclaiming as the custodian of the two holy shrines is putting the innocent Muslims of Yemen in such pressure and even not voicing remorse and regret over what they have done to Yemenis, continuing committing such crimes?”
“The UN has kept silence over such crimes taking no resolute abiding decision and the Westerners are even supporting these crimes,” he added.
“Explicit meddling in the internal affairs of an independent country like Lebanon asking one to resign and introducing another in one’s place is an unprecedented event in history,” Mr. Rouhani touched upon the crisis in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia’s role in Hariri’s resignation. He then addressed the “meddlers” asking them, “Who are you and what power are you depending on to take such measures? To what extent can money solve your problems, in your ideas?
“It is shameful that a Muslim country of the region demand and beg the Zionist regime to bombard the people of Lebanon,” articulated Mr. Rouhani. “We don’t find a Muslim country to do similar acts in history and it shows how inexperienced the new rulers of this country are,” reiterated President Rouhani.
“We as the Islamic Republic of Iran, whether like or not, have always supported and will always support the wronged people, and it is the religious duty of us to do so,” ascertained Iranian president on Iran’s call of help for the Muslims suppressed in Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, and Myanmar. “We always rush to help the oppressed and wronged not putting up with terrorists destructing holy sites and attacking on Muslims and innocent people.”
He also underlined the need for strengthening the national power of Iran and added, “Part of national power is in military might, part of it is political and part of economic, thus whatever contributing to our national might should be bolstered.”
“What we espouse about Iran’s transit role in the region, effective role in political affairs of the region, and safeguarding the rights of our nation to have economic prosperity are all demonstrative of our national power in areas of politics, economy, and culture,” he maintained.
“Creating divide between Shia and Sunni, ethnic groups, races and tribes in the region is one of the plots of the enemies and we should be united against them with bolstering solidarity among all religious sects and tribes,” reassured Mr. Rouhani.
