Iran’s president: We’re neither xenophiles nor xenophobes
Amid continuing criticism by hard-liners over the US visa ban, Iran’s president has lashed out, asserting that independence is not equivalent to isolation.
On Jan. 30, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took to the podium to state that independence is not equivalent to isolation — remarks that can be interpreted as a response to hard-liners’ continued criticism of the government’s foreign policy.
Rouhani, who was speaking at the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum ahead of the 38th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, said, “Independence doesn’t mean isolation, and it means the absence of the domination of others over the destiny of the country.”
He added, “We are neither xenophiles nor xenophobes … we are Muslim, revolutionary and Iranian.”
Rouhani went on to say, “With the guidance of the supreme leader, we engage in constructive engagement with the world to the benefit of our people and the national interest.”
