Iran President Raeisi: Era of West’s dominance is over

During a meeting with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday Raeisi said Iran has made great progress despite sanctions.

“Despite efforts made by some Western countries to impose their interests and values on other countries in the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran has managed to turn sanctions and pressures into opportunities and has made significant progress in different fields, particularly the field of technology,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that Iran has made significant achievements in the fields of agriculture, industry, and medicine thanks to its peaceful nuclear program, noting that “we managed to treat one million patients with radiopharmaceuticals last year.”

“Why do the US and European countries, that own nuclear arsenals prevent other countries from benefiting from nuclear energy,” he added.

Raeisi also hailed Milanovic’s announcement that his country is adopting an independent policy and expressed Iran’s interest in expanding political, economic, and trade ties with Croatia.

Milanovic, for his part, said Croatia has always tried to adopt independent policies, despite being a member of the US-led NATO military alliance and the European Union.

He noted that the adoption of independent foreign policy paves the way for “an ideal world.”

The Croatian president also opposed any attempt to impose values and cultures on other countries and condemned the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world countries.

Talks with Kazakh, Algerian counterparts 

Also on Monday, Raeisi met Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during which they called for accelerating the full implementation of bilateral agreements, including economic and trade deals.

Raeisi said the fact that the two countries are Caspian neighbors and members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) paves the way for expanding bilateral ties.

He noted that enhanced trade ties between the two countries by sea or railway “serve the interests of the two nations as well as the regional countries,” adding that “effective steps must be taken” to accelerate the attainment of the goal.

For his part, Tokayev who visited Tehran in June at the invitation of Raeisi stressed that Iran is a strategic partner and close friend of Kazakhstan.

The two sides oversaw the signing of several cooperation documents on transport, energy, and tourism among other areas at the time.

President Raeisi also met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, appreciating the African country’s support for the oppressed people of Palestine and its firm position on denying an observer status and influence to Israel in the African Union.

Raeisi said Iran has no problem in expanding relations with neighboring countries, stating that the interference of Western countries, especially the US, is the cause of disruption in the relations of the regional countries.

Tebboune touched on the history of good relations between the two countries and emphasized the need for serious efforts to revive and improve the relations between Iran and Algeria.

He said he is familiar with the political, economic, scientific and research capabilities of the Islamic Republic. “We know that sanctions have made Iran a powerful country and we are ready to expand our relations with Iran,” he said.

The Algerian president emphasized his country’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people to create an independent state, saying the reinforcement of relations between the Islamic countries in the region has increased their strength to deal with threats.

Tebboune said Western countries seek to abuse the countries of the region, adding one of the best ways to confront their influence and interference is to become strong.