Rouhani: We have not reached a conclusion on interaction or confrontation with the world for 40 years

Hassan Rouhani acknowledged that the Islamic Republic has not made its commitment to engage or confront the world clear for 40 years. The Iranian president said that if this type of disagreement continues, there is no other option but to hold a “referendum of the people.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, noting that the Islamic Republic has not given a "clear and decisive answer" to the question of whether it wants to choose between "interaction or confrontation with the world" for more than 40 years, called a "referendum of the people" the only solution to this type of dispute.

Speaking at Tehran University today, Wednesday, October 16, Rouhani called the question of “interaction or confrontation with the world” a “strategic and fundamental issue for the country” and said: “After 41 years in our country, we have not yet reached a clear and decisive answer in this regard. Some say constructive interaction, while others say we should have continuous and permanent confrontation with the world. Some believe that there is no way to solve problems with the world except by becoming stronger and defeating the other side.”

According to IRNA, Rouhani continued: "A group says our enemy is evil, we must confront him, and we must beat and kill or be killed, but another group says no, many problems cannot be solved with the world."

The Iranian president also stated that “the dispute is not over the JCPOA, but over a larger issue,” adding: “Some people say, ‘You are wasting time and life by negotiating with foreigners. We should be strong and threaten them, and the foreigners will humble themselves before us, kneel down, kiss our hands, and that will be the end of it.’ But another group says, ‘No, this is not the way, we will not achieve results with continuous war.’”

“Referendum” as the “only solution”

In another part of his speech, Hassan Rouhani considered the country's "growth and development" impossible without interaction with the world, saying: "Even during the sanctions, we will continue to live in the same way. We will help you. You will help us. We will all join hands, but growth and development are not possible without relations and interaction with the world. Banks, exports and imports are locked, and then you say we want to develop the economy. Is that possible?"

Rouhani stated that "we are in a difficult situation," adding: "Even now, as we govern the country, we should thank neighboring countries or some friendly countries in the world that have ignored the sanctions and continue to work with us."

The Iranian president also referred to the need for universities to be involved in "strategic issues" and said: "If we have discussed these strategic issues for years but have not reached a conclusion, we must resort to a referendum. We have no other choice. We cannot just fight with each other. We have been arguing with each other for 40 years. We must choose a path."

Rouhani has emphasized the need to determine the nature of the Islamic Republic's relationship with the world, even though the Leader of the Islamic Republic has not only banned any negotiations with the United States, but also recently called Europe "evil" and called for "giving up hope" in European countries.

On October 1, 2019, Ali Khamenei once again explained the main orientation of the Iranian government by stating that "the oppressors, according to their own words, want Iran to become a normal country, that is, one that conforms to the mechanisms of the oppressive system," and said that the Islamic Republic will continue to "follow the path of revolution and confront the oppressors."

Despite the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic’s ban on negotiations with the United States “at any level,” Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly said that he is ready to negotiate if “sanctions are lifted.” Hours before Khamenei’s speech on October 1, the Iranian president said that he had “cooperated” with the Europeans in negotiating with the United States, but that the White House had “sabotaged” the process.

Elections as “the best way to break extremism”

In another part of his speech today, Hassan Rouhani also referred to the elections before the Islamic Consultative Assembly and said: "Despite all the shortcomings and problems, the best way is the ballot box. The ballot box is for breaking the excesses. The ballot box is for reforming society. The ballot box is for meritocracy. The ballot box is for the people's thoughts to rule. We have no other way."

Rouhani stated that "one of the most important issues this year should be the elections," adding: "Anyone who considers themselves worthy should run for office, whether they are elected or not, whether they say you are righteous or not."

Hassan Rouhani's reference in this part of his speech is to the Guardian Council's review of the qualifications of election candidates. Rouhani's recent statements, in which he called the first parliament "the best parliament in the history of the Islamic Revolution," which, according to him, did not have the oversight it has today and even the People's Mojahedin Organization participated in, were met with severe criticism from advocates of "deliberative oversight" and the Guardian Council.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Guardian Council described Rouhani's remarks as a call for "non-compliance with the law," and Ahmad Khatami, the interim Friday prayer leader in Tehran, also described them as statements that "smell of bipolarity."

Student protest rally coincides with Rouhani's speech

Rouhani's speech today at the official opening ceremony of the academic year for universities and research centers was accompanied by some side effects. A group of student union activists held a protest rally at the University of Tehran at the same time as the speech.

Students in the rally held placards, protesting against the sentencing of a number of students to a total of 100 years in prison, the "barracking" of the university, and the increase in the privatization of universities, and calling for the release of imprisoned students.

On the other hand, there have been reports of a protest by a number of members of the student mobilization, according to which a number of these people left the meeting in protest during Rouhani's speech. The Fars news agency reported this news and wrote: "Some of the students who gathered showed their protest against the government's lack of criticism and the lack of a podium for student organizations at the ceremony by putting tape over their mouths."

The news agency, affiliated with Iranian security agencies, added: “The protesting students believed that the students who spoke in the presence of the president were not true representatives of the students.” According to Fars, “the students’ poor reception of Hassan Rouhani’s speech and the empty seats in the lecture hall were among the notable points of today’s program.”

But Hassan Rouhani, whose campaign promises in the 2013 presidential election included eliminating the "security environment" in universities and lifting the ban on students who have been deprived of education, did not mention the arrests of students or other demands of the protesters in his speech today.

Source: DW