In the Friday phone conversation, the two top diplomats conferred on the latest developments regarding the outbreak of coronavirus.
They also discussed the negative impacts of the US sanctions on the supply of basic requirements for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
What follows is the full text of the Iran president message to American people released on Friday, March 20, 2020:
In the Name of God, the Compassionate the Merciful
On behalf of the great Iranian nation, I write to the people of the United States of America on the occasion of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz). The coronavirus outbreak has endangered the health of—and even presented a considerable threat to—humanity with no distinction as to nationality, or gender or religious backgrounds. This presents an opportune moment to further contemplate our common pains and our human principles.
Today, all of humankind feels apprehensive toward the future; a future threatened in every aspect; be it health, business, and even social relationships and the way of life. The level of unpredictability and uncertainty is simply unprecedented. It is self-evident that our success in what is likely to be a long fight depends on the spiritual and heartfelt affinity of all human beings. The international defense that we have to mount will not be successful without camaraderie on the part of the whole of humankind. Today, instead of soldiers belonging to different armies, human soldiers, donning similar unicolor uniforms belonging to no particular country, are selflessly and altruistically at war against the enemy of humans across the globe. In this common fight, we all belong to one front. We all seek to prevail over our common enemy: a deadly virus. With this enemy, in contrast to other issues, we have no difference of views, and we do not diverge on its nature, its definition and its destructive consequences for the whole of humanity.
Historically, the Government of the United States, regrettably, once chose to assist what is worse than a virus—the regime of Saddam Hussein—at a time when the Iranian people were attacked, and Iranian (even Iraqi) women, men and children were not spared by that butcher. Although with the passage of time the U.S. Government noted its errors, it drew no lesson from them. As Daesh (ISIS), the terrorist group, wreaked havoc in the Middle East through its criminal deeds and extremist dogmas, the current U.S. Government handed this terrorist group a victory by assassinating the man who most effectively brought about its destruction.
Today, the Iranian people are harmed by both the deadly coronavirus and the callous U.S. government policy of economic terrorism inflicted on them. Yet, even under the circumstances of the pandemic, the U.S. government has failed to abandon its malicious policy of maximum pressure; and is thus in practice aiding the spread of this virus with its sanctions.
Following its illegal withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the U.S. Government has implemented more than one hundred collective punishment measures against the Iranian people, specifically targeting Iran’s principal economic and financial sectors, and inflicting damages amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran’s economy and the Iranian people. The sanctions imposed by the U.S. Government have resulted in many ordinary Iranians losing their jobs and incomes. It has also endangered their health and wellbeing. The sanctions have drastically undermined the ability of the Iranian people to fight the coronavirus and some among them are losing their lives as a result.
People of the United States,
You, like others in the world, are facing this destructive pandemic and experiencing the bitterness of a concern over your future and that of your loved ones. This time, the surrounding oceans of a continent are not an adequate defense. We know the war on this virus can only be successful if all nations can win this war together, and no affected nation is left behind. This is the other side of globalization coin; a signal that happiness and calamity are both globalized. As Sa’adi, our national poet, recited centuries ago, “Adam’s children are limbs of one body,” an injured limb makes the whole body ill. Thus, no border and no wall can shield any nation from the harm of this or any other virus.
I warn that under a pandemic situation, Tehran, Paris, London and Washington are not far apart, and any hostile actor seeking to undermine Iran’s health system and restricting the needed financial resources to tackle the crisis, will undermine the fight against the pandemic all over the world. COVID-19 is a matter of life and death, in the true meaning of the term for all nations, and countering it is the global duty of all.
The Iranian people have endured throughout history. Throughout millennia, Iranians prevailed against warmongers, from Genghis to Saddam, and withstood natural disasters, from pestilence to cholera, resiliently safeguarding their culture and civilization. This time, too, they will repel this virus as well as the sanctions born of the callous policy of maximum pressure, and will endure once again with resilience and pride.
But can the American people accept that these malicious pressures are brought to bear on the Iranian people in their name, as a result of their vote, and by the means of their taxes? The imperative of countering the new coronavirus has suspended sporting events, public ceremonies, religious congregations, and forced the closing of schools, universities, houses of worship and businesses across the globe. Isn’t it astonishing that even under such circumstances, there is no halt to pressure, sanctions and callousness? Are we to believe the claim of a readiness for humanitarian assistance from those who so brazenly violate human rights?
On this March 20th, the Iranian people, along with peoples from 12 other countries, celebrate the Iranian Nowruz (new day and new time), and the beginning of the spring. We should take this as an opportunity to adopt a new humanitarian approach toward fellow human beings.
People of the United States,
In the name of justice and humanity, I address your conscience and Godly souls, and call upon you to make your Administration and Congress see that the path of sanctions and pressure has never been successful and will never be so in the future. It is human discourse and action that produce results.
Regrettably, the fallacious framing of the situation in the region and deceptive lobbying of Iran’s regional enemies have impeded the way toward reforming the destabilizing and interventionist policies of the American government in the world, and in the Middle East in particular. Despite winning the election on the promise of withdrawing from the Middle East and returning American soldiers to their homes, the failure to fulfil this mandate and efforts to reach into the pockets of the American people to finance an unprecedented campaign of intervention in the region are manifest. This disastrous approach has resulted in the U.S. engaging in enmity with the country most central to defeating Daesh.
Regrettably, the most aggressive and reactionary enemies of democracy and human rights in the world, who have occupied the lands of others, or have deprived their own peoples of even one free election, have become advisers to the U.S. government and are imposing their own interests upon the American people. Currently, a congruence of virus and sanctions has become the hallmark of their policy towards Iran. The victims of the virus and the sanctions are ordinary Iranians from all walks of life and not the political elite.
The time has come for the American people to speak loudly and hold their government accountable, thus halting this dark chapter in American history. A return to international law and the principles of human rights will be in the interest of the American people and all nations throughout the world. Future generations will judge the American people based on the actions of their government, and the malicious behavior displayed thus far before the peoples of the world bodes poorly in that regard.
As the negotiations that resulted in the nuclear deal proved, we in Iran have always been ready for dialogue and have never feared it. In our view, it is a legal, moral and international imperative for every party to comply with its obligations. We have demonstrated our fidelity to our commitments and rejected the noncompliance demonstrated by other parties. The Iranian people value friendship and respect based on the principles of dignity and humanity and respond positively to overtures based on such values. Simultaneously, they are ready to resist pressure and threats, as they have heroically throughout history. We are a glorious and proud people with millennia of civilization. We react to the language of force with the language of resistance and to the language of dignity with the language of respect.
I wish a happy spring and New Year to all Americans, and especially those of Iranian descent.
Hassan Rouhani
The top Iranian diplomat and the UN chief held a telephone conversation on Friday evening and discussed the latest developments surrounding Iran’s fight against COVID-19 and the obstacles that the Iranian nation is facing in this path.
The phone talks were held as part of the international consultations that Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif has been holding about the battle with the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran and the world and following a letter that he had sent to the UN Secretary-General a couple of days ago.
In the conversation, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed solidarity and sympathy with the Iranian nation, and stressed the need for the removal of the US sanctions against the Iranian nation for the fight against coronavirus.
Foreign Minister Zarif, for his part, appreciated the stances adopted and the assistance provided by the institutions affiliated with the United Nations, and highlighted the need to abolish the inhumane, cruel, illegal and unilateral sanctions the US has imposed against people of Iran.
In a phone call on Friday evening, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif and Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Chingiz Aidarbekov discussed the outbreak of coronavirus in the world and the need for an immediate and global battle with the disease.
They also stressed the need for the removal of the unilateral and illegals American sanctions that have targeted the health and life of the Iranian people.
Each year as Persian New Year approaches, Iranians prepare themselves to heartily welcome the transition of the season and usher in the New Year which usually falls on March 21. In the run-up to Nowruz everybody is in a festive mood; shops teem with people who try to pick up good bargains; and there is frenzy everywhere.Women give a face-lift to their houses, working against the clock to embrace the spring with cleanliness and freshness.
A time-honored tradition associated with Nowruz [which means New Day in Farsi] is preparing Haft Seen.
Haft Seen, Persian for “Seven S’s” – refers to seven items whose names start with S in Farsi – which are placed on a table along with other things as part of Iranian New Year tradition.
In the past, the items were laid on a piece of cloth, spread on the floor, around which family members would sit while dressed in their best clothes, waiting eagerly for New Year to be ringed in.
The following are the Haft Seen items and their symbolic meanings:
Sprouted wheat (Sabzeh): Iranian women or those in the family who have a green thumb usually take the responsibility of growing wheat, barley, lentils or mung beans in a dish in mid- March. Sabzeh whose green appearance is a reminder of nature symbolizes rebirth, renewal and growth after leaving behind a period of inaction in the winter.
Samanu: It’s a thick brownish dish made from germinated wheat. This sweet and nutritious paste whose preparation might take up to a week is a symbol of affluence.
Dried oleaster (Senjed): The sweet wild olive, whose texture is mealy, symbolizes love.
Vinegar (Serkeh): It is a symbol of patience and longevity because in the past it was produced through a slow fermentation process.
Apple (Sib): It represents health and beauty.
Garlic (Sir): Garlics which have therapeutic value symbolize medicine and are believed to keep evil spirits and bad omens away.
Sumac (Sumagh): This reddish-purple powder, used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to meat and salads, symbolizes the color of sunrise and the triumph of good over evil. It is also believed to be the spice of life.
In case the items mentioned above are not at hand, other things can be used as replacements.
For instance, coins (Sekeh), which represent wealth and prosperity, or hyacinth (Sonbol), a bulbous flowering plant grown in the spring can be used if the number of items starting with “S” on the spread of Haft Seen falls short of seven.
Although the presence of items whose first letter is “S” in Persian is a must, Haft Seen won’t be complete without some other items. One such thing is goldfish in a bowl representing life. Another thing is a candle which is a sign of enlightenment. Sometimes a floating candle in a bowl of water, which in turn represents purity, is placed on the Haft Seen cloth.
Also placed on the spread are the following: painted eggs which symbolize fertility; a mirror, a symbol of sky and honesty; the holy Koran – to ask God for more blessing in the coming year; and a poetry book of Hafez [a prominent Persian poet] by which people ask for guidance and advice through bibliomancy at the turn of the year.
Different types of tasty pastries, sweets as well as nuts and other fruit are also put on the table, so after the coming of the New Year and exchanging gifts, all those sitting around the Haft Seen spread can dig in.
The Haft Seen table is usually cleared 13 days into the New Year when families spend a day out in the open. On this day, families take their Sabzeh out to nature and throw it into rivers. It’s believed that Sabzeh will take ill fate, pain and disease away from families in the New Year.
coron⁷The new cases increase the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 19,644, out of whom 1,433 have died, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said Friday.
He said 6,745 patients have also recovered and been discharged from the hospital so far.
The confirmed cases include 4,617 in Tehran, 1,791 in Isfahan, 1,636 in Mazandaran, 1,141 in Qom, 1,096 in Gilan, 1,062 in Alborz, 846 in Markazi, 759 in Khorasan Razavi, 684 in East Azarbaijan, 645 in Semnan, 589 in Yazd, 581 in Qazvin, 457 in Fars, 409 in Lorestan, 391 in Khuzestan, 375 in Golestan, 353 in West Azarbaijan, 331 in Zanjan, 264 in Ardabil, 215 in Kurdistan, 197 in Hamadan, 163 in Kermanshah, 163 in South Khorasan, 153 in Kerman, 148 in Ilam, 146 in Hormozgan, 138 in North Khorasan, 114 in Sistan and Baluchestan, 64 in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, 61 Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and 55 in Bushehr.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday night, Iran’s Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama discussed the latest developments in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.
The problems in face of the Corona virus, the deterrent effects of US unilateral and illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s confrontation with the disease, and humanitarian issues related to prisoners were among the topics discussed by the Iranian and Nigerian foreign ministers.
In a televised message addressed to the Iranian nation on Friday, Rouhani called for further unity and integrity in the New Year, saying, “It is unity, integrity and ethics that can create a good future for us.”
He also offered congratulations on Nowruz and the beginning of the year 1398 in the Solar Hijri calendar.
President Rouhani’s speech is as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Congratulations on the arrival of Nowruz to the entire Iranians throughout the country and overseas, and also those in the region who celebrate Nowruz.
I would like to congratulate the New Year to all doctors, nurses and medical staff who are now beside our dear patients, especially those who have been infected with the virus.
The year that passed was the year of incidents and epic points in history. The biggest incidents of our history happened and the proudest epic points were made in the history by our brave people.
Rare floods at the beginning of last year caused many problems for our people in 25 provinces across the country.
This caused 35 trillion tomans in damage and destroyed more than 68,000 houses. 80,000 houses were also in need of repair. During the year, most of the houses that needed to be rebuilt were reconstructed and all houses and buildings were mended and infrastructure was built.
Great hardships and sadness were imposed on our people, but our nation remained steadfast in the flood, and then the next month, the most severe sanctions of history were imposed on our nation by global terrorists.
Our oil industry was under the toughest historical sanctions and the pressure was on our economy from every side. They thought that with such intense pressure, our people would surrender, but our great nation resisted these hardships and created a new point in history.
They thought they would drive our country to a critical point in inflation and stagnation, but all the figures tell us that in the 9 months of 1398, our economic growth has been positive and inflation has been contained as much as possible.
In the same year, the biggest economic projects of our country in recent decades were inaugurated; from huge refineries to different dams to the revival of the agricultural sector, to the great transformation in oil and gas and to the opening of the largest highways, roads and railways and ports.
So we did not lose; we resisted America’s pressure, resisted and won in the International Court of Justice against the United States, and this court convicted the United States and we won in all international communities politically and publicly.
What can be regarded as the fruit of recent technology was shot down by our air defence missiles at our southern border, proving that this nation is the creator of the greatest points in the history of our country.
The system that downed the drone was 100% Iranian. Our air defence displayed its victory against modern American technology to the entire world.
It did not take long for the United States to commit the cruellest assassination of history against our great commander, who was the commander of fighting terrorism.
But our people and the nations of the region responded so strongly that they made it a great opportunity for resistance at the regional level. The funerals held in Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf, Ahwaz, Tehran, Mashhad, Qom, Kerman and all the Iranian people showed to the world that the Iranian nation is a grateful nation.
Our warriors shattered their house of cards by showering one of their largest bases in the region with rockets. The slap was so strong that the United States is still unwilling to report its real casualties.
Along with so many bitter and sweet incidents, we witnessed the unbelievable error of one person, which resulted in the loss of 176 dear ones, mostly our fellow Iranians, who were victim of the incident.
At the end of the year, we encountered a destructive uninvited guest, not just us but also more than 150 countries and nations. Coronavirus put the lives and health of people at risk, but our doctors, nurses, hospitals and health centres came to the stage so bravely.
Here I would like to point out one important point, that over the past six years the government has invested in two special things, both in health and Healthcare Reform Plan and the cyberspace and communications and the National Information Network, the positive effects of which can be felt better today.
Today, the disease appeared when our hospital bed has doubled for the past 6 years and our hospital equipment is better than ever.
Today, we need cyberspace and the best infrastructure for the information network has been set over the past six years.
But what’s more dangerous than coronavirus, which is a disease that affects the body, is the mental illness we have to fight against.
Who would have believed that in this difficult conditions and in this disease, some would want to play with the soul and health of the people, to speak in real and cyberspace to harass the souls of the people.
We will overcome the physical coronavirus fast with unity, effort, cooperation, and the efforts of doctors; we must try to overcome the coronavirus of the soul. It is unity, solidarity and ethics that can build a good future for us.
Here I would like to tell our dear people that year 1399 will be the year of major projects, the year of prosperity with the help of all people in the economy, and the year of change in people’s lives and our economic relations with the world and our interactions with our neighbours.
Yet despite all the pressures in the year 1398, we have been able to be part of a major regional economic pact, the Eurasian Economic Union.
These are happy moments for our dear and honourable people, we will pray more in the year 1399. We will raise our hands higher to the sky. He is the Healer, we ask Him health and prosperity and a better life because He is the Merciful and Beneficent God.
Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
A few hours after beginning of the new Iranian year, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi held a telephone conversation as part of the international diplomatic consultations that Tehran holds regularly to counter the US regime’s economic terrorism which is threatening the health of the Iranian people.
In the conversation, Foreign Minister Zarif exchanged views about the major regional and international developments, praised the Japanese government and nation for supporting the Iranian nation in the fight against the coronavirus, and expounded on Iran’s widespread efforts to contain COVID-19.
The Iranian Foreign Minister also pointed to a report from the World Health Organization about the Iranian health system’s professional performance in the health campaign, stressing that the US’ sanctions are the main obstacle to supplying the needs for the medicine and medical equipment necessary for the rapid containment of coronavirus in Iran which must be lifted.
He also called on the government of Japan to step up efforts to remove the US’ unilateral and illegal sanctions.
For his part, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu described the Japanese government’s assistance as a sign of the friendly relations between the two countries and Japan’s solidarity with the Iranian nation.
In addition to the cash donations to Iran, Japan will be donating some free Avigan (Favipiravir) drug to Iran to help treat the patients with acute coronavirus infection, Toshimitsu added.
The two Foreign Ministers also agreed that, considering the high standards of the health system in Iran, the scientific report about the use of those drugs would be shared with the Japanese experts for advancements in medical sciences.
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