Iran FM: Washington retracted Biden's statements on 'liberating Iran'

Shafaq News/ Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters on Saturday that the US plans to sabotage the Iranian revolution were thwarted.

Over the past four decades, the US has repeatedly failed to implement what they did to Afghanistan and Iraq to Iran, namely a full-scale forcible and coercive regime change - and the failure to do so in light of recent protests merely adds up to the long list of imperialist defeats, the Minister said.

This is owed to "our people’s vigilance" and guidelines of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the minister added.

On Thursday, Biden addressed voters in California, saying, "Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran," only to rectify himself straight thereafter, saying, "They're gonna free themselves pretty soon," as voters clapped.

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi was quick to respond by saying, "Iran gained freedom 43 years ago," while delivering a speech at the Student Day rallies to mark the November 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Iran.

Later came Amir-Abdollahian's response who confirmed today that "the US administration is dealing with hypocrisy and duplicity with Tehran," noting that "American officials have informed Iran that Biden's position does not represent the official position."

During today's meeting of national coordinators of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the UN in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian told attendees that Iran's primary focus in foreign policy was to achieve regional stability - a challenging goal in the face of ongoing threats from the West, yet not fully out of reach.

He added that the world is currently facing increased tensions at regional and international scales and that the unilateralism of some global powers was further fueling unrest and instability in the international community.

The imposition of unfair and unjustified sanctions adds up to this instability as a clear breach of international law and human rights, he said, adding, "Such unilateral moves have deeply questioned the commitment of these governments to the principles of the UN Charter regarding the promotion and respect of human rights."

What is needed to address this, the Minister said, is for countries to organize countermeasures by jointly strengthening international cooperation and ultimately overcoming oppressive sanctions.

Touching on matters related to the US foreign policy toward Iran, Amir-Abdollahian said the impulsive move to withdraw from the JCPOA further confirms the country's total neglect of its commitments to international obligations and the UNSC resolution.

He highlighted that Biden's recent claims on "liberating" Iran were at the core of the US' Iranophobic stance.

All throughout the process of reviving the nuclear agreement, Iran resorted to all possible means to reach a fair and solid deal. But the US' arrogance and the EU's lax attitude bore nothing but a brutal reminder that the West will acknowledge Iran's autonomy.

The top Iranian diplomat stressed that Washington ought to prove its intentions are essentially good.

He further made mention of the illegal and unsolicited interference of foreign powers meddling in Iran's internal affairs via the spread of fake news and anti-Iran propaganda in light of the riots.

The Minister stressed that actions of this kind are a clear violation of the charter of Human Rights as they harm the integrity of self-determined and fully autonomous countries.

The Zionist entity is the biggest violator of international law

After touching upon the West's crimes in fomenting terrorism at a regional scale across the Muslim world, particularly the consolidation of terrorist and separatist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Amir-Abdollahian said the zionist regime has surpassed all its peers in terms of violating international law.

The Minister identified "Israel" to be the principal cause of conflict, destruction, and instability in the West Asian region, adding that the UN Security Council must assume its responsibilities in dealing with the crimes against humanity committed by the zionist entity.

Speaking on the controversial allegations of the use of Iranian drones and missiles in the Ukraine conflict, the Minister said Iran did provide Russia with drones however prior to the start of the conflict, but it never supplied it with missiles.

He said his administration had agreed to meet with Ukraine's Foreign Minister to provide them with concrete proof that Iranian missiles had not been used in the conflict. Two weeks ago, a delegation was sent to a country in the EU to meet with a Ukrainian team. But the meeting was canceled hours before it was scheduled due to mounting US pressure.

"The reason was that the US and some European countries, especially Germany, told Ukraine that while we [West] want to use drones against Iran, you want to drink coffee in a European country!" he added.

The Iranian Foreign Minister went on to say, "But after that, in a phone conversation last week with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, we agreed that if there is any document, they will provide us with it, and if the Ukrainian side sticks to its promise, we will be able to examine this issue in the coming days."

"Of course, if it is proven to us that Russia used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will not be indifferent to this issue," the Minister said

He further added that Iran's position regarding the conflict is to call for a complete cessation of war, the restoration of diplomatic ties, and for refugees to return to their homes, stressing that Iran has made several moves to push for the restoration of peace.

The claims first surfaced in July this year when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleged that Washington had received intel that Iran was planning to supply Russia with "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the conflict.

Iran rebuked the claims several times, stating it never supplied Moscow with drones, missiles, or any other sorts of weaponry since the conflict began.

During a phone call with Ukraine's Foreign Minister on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated that Iran has never supplied Russia with drones, arms, and ammunition since the conflict began and that Iran's stance on the conflict is clear: Iran's foreign policy strives to promote regional peace and stability, and Tehran is ready to hold high-level meetings involving the presence of military experts between the two countries to further discuss the matter.