{"id":3794,"date":"2019-10-04T14:49:22","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T14:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/?p=3794"},"modified":"2019-10-04T14:49:22","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T14:49:22","slug":"rouhani-middle-east-one-blunder-away-from-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2019\/10\/04\/rouhani-middle-east-one-blunder-away-from-war\/","title":{"rendered":"ROUHANI: MIDDLE EAST ONE BLUNDER AWAY FROM WAR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">US-Iranian tensions ratcheted up on Wednesday as Tehran warned that the Middle East was one blunder away from war, just hours after the Trump administration announced it had imposed a new round of sanctions against the Islamic republic.<br><br>\u201cOur region is on the edge of collapse, as a single blunder can fuel a big fire,\u201d Iranian President\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Hassan-Rouhani-The-US-and-Israel-support-terrorism-in-the-Middle-East-602774\">Hassan Rouhani<\/a>\u00a0told the United Nations General Assembly. \u201cWe do not tolerate the interference of outsiders. We shall respond decisively to any transgression or violation of our security and territorial integrity.\u201dRead More Related Articles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Special-Content\/Tshuva-Tefillah-Tzdaka-602238?obOrigUrl=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tshuva, Tefillah, Tzdaka<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Failed-concentration-of-ISIS-supporters-in-Syrian-camp-created-a-hell-hole-603438?obOrigUrl=true\">Concentration of ISIS supporters in Syrian camp created hell-hole and thr<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/r1.zemanta.com\/r\/u1pxyuajo9a8\/b1_outbrainrtb\/830603\/10668649\/SHDTDFDQXLSBNVZ5DJZA3HCYMGJNNJEIIZTGTIISOOFBOWDYG7IK4KHUHM52MASQ67B7M67XI75GQHEOPMOBNXP7R6K6NQRP26QM65OV6EAP4INSDTWTF6BE6OXO32UGWELGIP6RKXCWNQEITY7G2Y3D4XR7PO5YSC7WMQJBYRHNWWHDMBSF5PDSCA6T2RBYDDPZIXFXR7BD7Z4LNT6RWF42SJMKBG2GYRLRW3KRTWH6V3MMZHFFX2PK5CHS4V5577G3BOZY6HV2RHZQXARHKFEM43HKCVL3MJ4PABUJM3GN2DNPYWC26PB4US77UBJFWXX4XBHSUPCZS6DPXMFMK47HQ5YHS2A6YFZTL2KWG2MTYTQIYQIN3XBSPXB3WGGGUS2CQBFSEBGGK\/?obOrigUrl=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Savvy Americans Are Opening High Yield Savings Accounts&nbsp;(Yahoo Search)<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outbrain.com\/what-is\/default\/en\">Recommended by<\/a>As Rouhani began his speech, Israel\u2019s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon slowly got up out of his seat, straightened his suit jacket and walked out of the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIsrael will not respect the world\u2019s number one exporter of terrorism,\u201d Danon later said. \u201cRouhani takes advantage of the UN stage to distract and blind the international community from his regime\u2019s aggression. World leaders need to issue a clear ultimatum to Rouhani: dismantle the nuclear program or we will bring more sanctions to bring the collapse of the regime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier in the day, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US Treasury announced new Iran-related sanctions on five Chinese individuals and six entities it accuses of knowingly transferring oil from Iran in violation of Washington\u2019s curbs on Tehran. The entities include two Cosco Shipping subsidiaries, but not the parent company itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move came as it appeared that efforts to hold a meeting between Rouhani and US President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Israel-News\/Netanyahu-Gantz-support-Trumps-position-on-Iran-602732\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;on the sidelines of the UNGA had failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no chance that the American and Iranian presidents will meet during the United Nations General Assembly this week, an Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Rouhani-Middle-East-one-blunder-away-from-war-602882\">Latest articles from Jpost<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"void(0)\">&nbsp;&nbsp;00:28 \/ 00:28TOP ARTICLES1\/5READ MORERivlin: Israel is in crisis, needs government now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cZero,\u201d said the official on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the UNGA, Rouhani also made it clear that no such meeting would take place unless the US lifted all sanctions against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA photo shoot ceremony is the last \u2013 not first step \u2013 in negotiations,\u201d Rouhani said. He called US sanctions \u201cinternational piracy\u201d and \u201ceconomic terrorism,\u201d and said that America\u2019s foreign intervention has inflamed the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe security of the region needs the withdrawal of US forces who failed in 18 years where Iran, with the aid of neighboring nations and governments, succeeded to end ISIS\u2019s dominance,\u201d Rouhani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The route to peace and security in the Middle East is \u201cdemocracy at home; diplomacy abroad,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor a year and a half, the US government has sought to deprive Iran of its right to access the world economy by threats and extra-territorial sanctions,\u201d Rouhani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He took issue with the US decision to exit the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was negotiated under the Obama administration between Tehran and six world powers. The deal provided Iran with sanction relief in exchange for limiting its nuclear capabilities. It was negotiated with the US, Russia, China, France, the UK and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The US left the deal last year and reimposed even stiffer sanctions against Iran, in hopes of renegotiating a deal that would prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons and deal with the threat of its ballistic missile system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rouhani made it clear that no such talks were possible while sanctions are in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe once negotiated under sanctions. We will not do so again,\u201d Rouhani said. \u201cHalt the sanctions and return to your commitments so the dialogue may reopen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the US wants a deal, it should return to the original document, Rouhani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you are sensitive to the very name of the JCPOA, you can still return to its spirit by respecting the framework of Security Council Resolution 2231,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the US wants something more, it has to give Tehran additional incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe JCPOA was a minimum: for you and for us,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you require more, you should pay more. If what you truly demand is for Iran not to obtain and use a nuclear weapon, this can be achieved through the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader\u2019s fatwa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rouhani rejected calls by the US and European countries for a regional security system, noting that the outsider here was the US and that any regional security team should only involve Middle Eastern countries. He suggested forming what he called a \u201cCoalition of Hope,\u201d which would also deal with issues involving the passage of oil tankers through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI invite all countries affected by the developments in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to join the Coalition of Hope and the \u2018Hormuz Peace Endeavor,\u2019\u201d Rouhani said. \u201cThis initiative covers different areas such as energy security, navigation and oil transfer in Hormuz and beyond. Any security coalition with foreign leadership is tantamount to interference in regional affairs. The security approach to shipping negates the freedom of navigation and fuels tension and mistrust while jeopardizing regional peace, security and stability,\u201d Rouhani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With regard to Saudi Arabia, he said the country\u2019s security \u201crequires ending the aggression to Yemen and not by inviting foreigners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRather than leveling allegations against the innocent, the warmonger should be found,\u201d the Iranian president said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his UN speech on Tuesday, Trump accused Iranian leaders of \u201cbloodlust\u201d and called on other nations to join the US in applying pressure on Iran, after September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities that Washington blames on Tehran despite its denials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, British, Chinese, French, German, Russian and EU officials met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss salvaging the JCPOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDiplomacy is the only way to resolve issues,\u201d Zarif said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the meeting of parties still in the 2015 deal, even Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief who is one of its strongest supporters, sounded downcast about the chances of getting Iran to comply with the pact after the US withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI believe \u2013 I don\u2019t believe, I hope \u2013 that rationality will prevail,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is in the interest of all to remain committed to the deal\u2026 but it is becoming increasingly difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US-Iranian tensions ratcheted up on Wednesday as Tehran warned that the Middle East was one blunder away from war, just hours after the Trump administration announced it had imposed a new round of sanctions against the Islamic republic. \u201cOur region is on the edge of collapse, as a single blunder can fuel a big fire,\u201d Iranian President\u00a0Hassan Rouhani\u00a0told the United&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2019\/10\/04\/rouhani-middle-east-one-blunder-away-from-war\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3795,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794\/revisions\/3795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}