Dr Raisi at the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations

Public diplomacy

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful 

Mr President;
I congratulate you on your election as the President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Since last year when I spoke to you from this podium, the world has undergone important bitter and sweet changes.
Almost eight decades after the establishment of the United Nations, the new session of the General Assembly begins while the world is experiencing unprecedented and history-making changes.
Meanwhile, what guarantees a bright future for human society is paying attention to the high values that lead people to perfection and dignity; And what better than God's word can define humanity and exalting human values.
Dear audience; Ladies and gentlemen;
Qur'an is the word of God and a book that invites man to rationality, spirituality, justice, morality and truth. The three basic pillars in the Qur'an are monotheism, justice and human dignity, which provide human happiness. What has the Qur'an said that has aroused the hatred of the arrogant and the lords of power and wealth?
The Qur'an says, O mankind; Do not accept oppression and division. With this guidance, we can build a world of dignity and greatness. The Qur'an talks about the unity of mankind and that all the inhabitants of the earth are like brothers and sisters and from the same parents.The Qur'an regards man as God's representative, and men and women, despite their natural differences, complement each other and are equal in God's presence; The Quran defends the privacy of the family and considers the child as God's trust;
Faithfulness to covenants, truthfulness and trustworthiness, honesty in dealings and transactions, serving the disadvantaged and fighting against poverty, prostitution and injustice... Yes, these are the contents of the Noble Qur'an;
Is this the first time that they burn the words of God and think that they will cut off the voice of the world forever? Did Nimrod, Pharaoh and Korah win over Abraham, Moses and Jesus?
The Qur'an forbids insulting ideas and beliefs, and respects Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as respect for Muhammad (PBUH).

These unifying concepts and sublime, inspiring, humanising, community-building and civilisation-building prophets for human societies are eternal and will never burn. The fire of insult and distortion will never be an opponent of truth. 

Mr President;

Anti-Islamism and cultural apartheid, in their various forms, including burning the Holy Qur'an to banning the hijab in schools and dozens of other shameful discriminations, do not fit the progress of modern man.

Behind the curtain of these hate speech, there is a bigger plot and reducing it to the category of freedom of speech is misleading. 

The West, which is now faced with an identity and functional crisis, sees the world as a forest and itself as a beautiful garden. Some sinister but powerful currents see the solution in creating a crisis and making enemies. This cultural apartheid has targeted the Muslim community and especially the immigrants; Immigrants who themselves are victims of colonial policies.

Like all believers and freedom seekers, we believe that respect for divine religions should be included in the international agenda, and the United Nations will ensure respect for divine religions by designing a mechanism.

In addition to the war against Islam, we are also witnessing a war against the family. The family is the most authentic, lasting, fundamental and natural human institution that is under threat today.

Today, the crime against humanity is not only the occupation of lands and the killing of innocents and the colonisation of nations, but the attack on the natural shelter of human beings, which is the family, is also a crime against humanity. Protecting the privacy of family and marriage, which is formed by the union of a woman and a man, is a global reality that should become a common global agenda. Education, development and human excellence cannot be achieved except in the framework of family values.

Fake narratives of marriage and gender are actually an attempt to eliminate transcendental concepts such as mother, father and natural family; Actions that can be seen as examples of crimes against humanity and cause the end of the human race. It is our human duty to deal with such approaches. Today, we need a global movement of commitment to the family so that all family members can experience a warm life together.

We ask all the leaders of the world and the leaders of divine religions to fulfil their historical duty in supporting the original position of the concept of family and confronting fake narratives. We expect the United Nations to place respect for the noble position of the family at the top of its agenda. 

Ladies and gentlemen;

We are in a decisive historical period. The world is changing and transitioning to an emerging international order, and this path is irreversible.

The equation of western domination for the world no longer works. The old liberal order, which served the interests of insatiable dominators and capitalists, has been pushed aside and, in a word, the project of Americanising the world has failed.

The nation of Iran is proud that, with the help of its glorious Islamic revolution, it has provided the greatest enlightenment in removing the mask from the faces of the rulers of the East and West, and together with other nations of West Asia, has played a decisive role in the failure of the domination system.

Now that the resistance and awakening of the nations of the world has increased more than ever and emerging powers have emerged, it is hoped that a new and just order will rule the world.

What is key to the new international order is to abandon global domination and replace it with regional orders and cooperation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran supports maximum economic and political convergence within and between regions and is interested in interacting with the whole world based on justice.

However, now that the independent countries of the world are taking steps towards greater cooperation and convergence, we are witnessing the efforts of some powers to ignite the fire of conflict in different regions. With a Cold War mentality, they seek to divide the world into blocs again. This movement is reactionary and detrimental to the security and well-being of nations.

The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes that a new East and West should not be allowed to form.

Securing trade corridors, downgrading countries from allies to dependents, hindering the economic growth of independent countries, and creating proxy wars in Asia and Europe are part of this sinister chain.

The irony of the story is that these measures are proposed in the name of defending democracy; But the whole world, including our nations in West Asia, have touched the true meaning of Western democracy and know that it is just a code name for coup, occupation and war.

The task of the world with the project and school of liberal democracy is clear because they know that it is nothing but a velvet glove with a cast iron hand under it. Now, the school that wanted to be a model for the world has become a lesson and is nearing the end of its journey. 

Ladies and gentlemen;

At a time when some powers are pushing the world towards more wars, the Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed the policy of "neighbourhood and convergence".

The neighbourhood policy is a benevolent policy for the region, and based on this, extensive economic cooperation and strengthening infrastructure links are at the top of the regional agenda. The Islamic Republic warmly shakes every hand that is extended for friendship. It is an independent and powerful neighbour for the region of opportunity.

Now that our region has passed two decades of imposed tension and crisis and the resistance of free nations in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Afghanistan has borne fruit, the prospects for the region can only be guaranteed by deepening mutual political trust and extensive economic cooperation, and endogenous security.

Based on this, Iran has established a new chapter of beneficial relations with neighbouring, aligned and like-minded countries, and by being a member of regional and international mechanisms, it has shared its capacities to form a fair order, and by prioritising the completion of trade crossings, including the North-South corridor that connects the world of north with the world of south, ensures sustainable economic benefits for all nations in the region.

Also, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to share its unique natural and technical capacities in the field of clean energy production and transmission with other countries in order to reduce and manage the harmful effects of climate change.

At the security level, the neighbourhood policy seeks to ensure stable security through intra-regional cooperation and preventing foreign interference. From the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf, any foreign presence is not only part of the solution, but the problem itself. We consider the security of our neighbours as our security and any insecurity for them as insecurity for us.

We established initiatives in the region with seriousness and goodwill. However, the nexus of politics and security needs to be strengthened and will only be sustainable when combined with meaningful economic cooperation.

Due to the long experience of colonialism and repeated military aggression, the West Asian region has lost many opportunities for development and progress. Now that under the leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, the doctrine of resistance has successfully pushed back the waves of occupation and terrorism, a new opportunity and era has been established for the region.

The power of the Islamic Republic is a security-building power, and by removing the options of war, occupation and partition of countries from the table of the dominating powers, it has opened new horizons for the region. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the priority of the region is Islamic unity and collective development. Undoubtedly, stabilisation of security depends on collective development, and this is the only way to prosperity in West Asia.

The land of Iran has unique opportunities for investment, and prioritising economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic is an opportunity for the countries of the region and the world.

Dear Mr President;

Last year was the year of the victory of the Iranian nation. Some western countries and their intelligence services made a miscalculation last year and once again underestimated the power of the Iranian nation.

Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, the enemies of the Iranian nation have imposed all kinds of wars, sanctions and maximum pressure on our people with "consecutive crises". It has been 45 years since these policies have failed and the Iranian nation has achieved "consecutive victories". Now they are facing an Islamic Republic that has both resisted and progressed on the basis of a deep bond with its nation.

Last year, the Iranian nation was the target of the biggest media attack and psychological war in history. Can America, which is the biggest prison for mothers in the world, honestly worry about women's rights?

During this period, the image that was transmitted from Iran to the world was the product of suppressing valid information and disseminating misinformation.

Despite producing and publishing tens of thousands of false news and reports about Iran, important facts about Iran are being censored all over the world:

• Have you ever heard anything about the chemical bombing of Iranian people? Those chemical weapons were given to Saddam by some Europeans.
• Have you seen the picture of the chemical victims who are still alive, but have been in the hospital for about 35 years and are in pain?
• Has the image of children suffering from butterfly disease suffering due to the drug embargo by America and some western countries been broadcast to the world from the mainstream media?
• Have you seen the pictures of patience, resistance, sacrifice and martyrdom in the resistant people of Islamic Iran?
• Have you heard anything about the irreplaceable movement of 22 million people from different countries in the huge Arba'een procession in Iraq?
• Today's security of the Kurdistan region owes to the efforts of martyred general Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the fight against terrorism, otherwise many regions of the world would be burning in the fire of ISIS. But have they shown or will give you any of these courages in the media and Hollywood?

The 25-million-people funeral of the commander of the fight against terrorism Haj Qassem Soleimani was censored. Sadness, anger and sense of revenge of 85 million people of Iran and the Islamic Ummah were censored.

The assassination of martyr Qassem Soleimani was a reward for ISIS, which, according to former US officials, was their own creation. Therefore, instead of honouring that brave commander, they assassinated him.

But the Islamic Republic of Iran will not stop using all the tools and capacities to execute justice and prosecute the perpetrators and managers of this state terrorism until a definite result is achieved; The blood of the oppressed will not be trampled and it will hunt the oppressor.

Respected heads of governments and delegations

Occupation, terrorism and extremism are among the most important serious threats in West Asia, which disrupt any order based on the interests of the nations of the region.

The eradication of terrorism depends on the comprehensive and targeted fight against its roots and manifestations and the indiscriminate punishment of terrorists all over the world.

The use of terrorism by some western governments as a tool of foreign policy neutralises the fight of the countries of the region against terrorism.

The management and exploitation of some western security services from extremist groups and especially the targeted movement of foreign combatant forces in different geographical areas also fuel these concerns.

Some European countries should answer why, while claiming to fight terrorism, they have become a safe haven for a terrorist group that has so far assassinated more than 17 thousand Iranian citizens in the street? Discrimination in the fight against terrorism means a green light to terrorists.

Iran, which is the biggest victim of terrorism, is the pioneer in the fight against terrorism in the region.

The nations of the region consider Iran to be a reliable partner for their security and the occupying Regime of Quds is the main cause of insecurity, instability and promoting violence in the region.

Isn't it time to end the 75 years of occupation of the Palestinian land and the oppression of that oppressed nation and the killing of women and children and the rights of the Palestinian nation be recognised?

The continued occupation of Palestine and parts of Lebanon and Syria by the Zionist Regime and depriving the oppressed Palestinian people of their inalienable and inherent rights, especially in the formation of a Palestinian state with Bayt al-Maqdis as its capital, has led to the escalation of the crimes of this Regime and the expansion of the scope of aggression and threats to other countries in the region.

The only government based on apartheid and racial discrimination remaining in the world, which is founded on the basis of war, occupation, terrorism and violation of the rights of nations and continues to live on this basis and method, cannot be a partner of peace.

Today's situation in Afghanistan is another manifestation of the effects of Western intervention in the region, which led to the killing of more than 170,000 men, women and children. In Afghanistan, Iran emphasises the inclusive government and the necessity of respecting the rights of all tribes, ethnicities and religions of this country. At the same time, urgent international action is necessary to deal with the urgent crisis of refugees who have left this country, especially in Iran.

Regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia, I would like to emphasise once again the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in rejecting war as a solution to any conflict. We do not consider the war in Europe to be in the interest of any European side. Rejecting any ceasefire plan in the Ukraine war by the Americans shows that America has a long-term plan to weaken Europe.

We support any initiative to end the war and start the political process and declare our readiness to play a constructive role in this field.

Mr President;

America's withdrawal from the JCPOA was a violation of the Muslim principle of faithfulness to the covenant. The US government continues to avoid fulfilling its obligations under the JCPOA by clearly violating the provisions of Security Council Resolution 2231.

With this behaviour, America has actually prescribed lawlessness and coercion instead of cooperation, contrary to all its claims. America needs to prove by building trust that it has good intentions and has a real will to fulfil its commitments and finalise the path. The Europeans, who after years of not adhering to their commitments, including the cancellation of sanctions, are now violating the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, must understand that they will lose if they speed up the costly path of confrontation.

Nuclear weapons have no place in the defence doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Official reports of relevant international authorities and even Western intelligence communities have repeatedly emphasised the truth of this claim. As in the past two decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran will in no way abandon the inalienable rights of its nation to peacefully benefit from nuclear technology.

The world's only nuclear criminal does not fulfil its obligations under the NPT to disarm nuclear weapons, but by imposing illegal unilateral sanctions, it violates the indisputable principles of international law and the United Nations Charter and violates the rights of nations.

But these sanctions have had no effect on our nation's decisiveness in the country's progress. It is time for America to end its crisis of decision-making and choose the right path.

Ladies and gentlemen;

Humanity is entering a new orbit. The old powers are declining. They are the "past" and we are the "future". I repeat that they are the "past" and we are the "future".

Our view of the future is hopeful. The world is waiting for the saviour promised by the divine religions. This saviour exists and is present. We firmly believe that based on God's providence and will, as promised by God's prophets, justice will become universal and the government of God's righteous servants will rule all over the earth and humanity will be saved with the growth of awareness and the destruction of ignorance. The world is waiting for the day when failure will end.

Thank you for your attention.