Iranians should be treated with ‘language of respect’

Mr. Zarif unveiled Foreign Ministry’s new website on Saturday along with a new book ‘International Relations in Transition in a post-Western World.’

He believed that public diplomacy had been the most difficult and at the same time a crucial field of diplomacy and that it had been experiencing new challenges and opportunities; “the major challenge is that no single entity has the monopoly over free flow of information; now, no propaganda giant would succeed in silencing any voice including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran which was a revolution with a clear message to the world,” he continued. “The website seeks to address this challenge by fashioning a new interface; the website will provide services to all Iranians.”

Zarif said that the Revolution offered a boon for Iran; “now, we are independent; we would not need permission form east or west in our policy agenda setting; since the Revolution, elections provided a platform for the people to renew allegiance for and confidence in the Establishment, displaying a unique version of religious democracy; by election, they invest their power on the Establishment, delegating it with legitimacy to rule,” he told the meeting.

He reiterated that a high turnout in 2013 presidential elections persuaded the western powers to negotiate with Iran to solve Iran’s nuclear stalemate, when they concluded that sanctions would achieve nothing; “we hope to see that again with people sending the clear message to the world that this nation should be treated with language of respect and not rhetoric of sanctions and threats; the Foreign Ministry and the media has an inherent mission to improve Iran’s positions in the world and promote Iranian cause and encourage public to participate in deciding their own political future,” he concluded.