29 May, 2017
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gives a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 22, 2017.
Iran's recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani said that the Syrian issue should be solved through dialogue and peaceful means.
"I'm not going to comment on my expectation".
"Our missiles are for defence and peace", Rouhani said, adding that the USA expectations from Iran to halt its defensive missile programme is "an illusion".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose country has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, said he hoped Rouhani would use his second term to end Tehran's ballistic missile programme and what he called its network of terrorism.
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In a tweet following the speech, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused Trump of ignoring Iran's democratic credentials to "milk" Saudi Arabia of billions of dollars. "Americans were only successful in their engagement with the Iranian nation during the nuclear talks". "Our missiles are for peace and for defence", he said. That would "make it even more complicated for Trump to try to renegotiate the nuclear deal", Nuseibeh said. There will be challenges to Rouhani's agenda, but so far, the president - who, post-elections, thanked reformist icon Mohammad Khatami, breaking the security forces' taboo against mentions of Khatami - has indicated his willingness to meet these. Even so, global investors "are still anxious about remaining US sanctions and possible future sanctions that could target Iran's missile program", she said by email. The Iranian people recognise that neither Rouhani nor Raisi would have changed the way that Iran is run; Khamenei holds the true power within the Regime.
Rouhani said that people in Saudi Arabia are there friends and they have always loved them and hoped the Saudi government to choose the right path.
"Once again, by his repetitive and baseless claims about Iran, the American president ... tried to encourage the countries of the region to purchase more arms by spreading Iranophobia", said Bahram Qassemi, a foreign ministry spokesman.
"Today, Iran - prouder than ever - is ready to promote its relations with the world based on mutual respect and national interests", he said. Nonetheless, many believe that Israel was specifically emboldened to seek adventurism in Syria after the election to office of US President Donald Trump - what eventually led to a wider involvement of America in the conflict, as well.
