On Saturday, December 8, 2018, Iranian President Hassan Rohani spoke at the second conference of the parliament speakers of Iran, Russia, China, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, held in Tehran. Rohani, who presented these countries, and especially Iran, as victims of Western and American terror, threatened that if the European countries endorse the U.S. sanctions on Iran and weaken it, they will be flooded with terror, drugs and refugees.
Rohani justified the deployment of Iranian forces in various Middle East countries on the grounds that Iran is the one responsible for stopping the terror of ISIS, and also for curbing extremism and violence in the region and stopping the trafficking of drugs to the West. If Iran weakens, he added, Europe will also be flooded with a new wave of refugees.
The following are excerpts from his speech:
Rohani speaking at the conference (source: President.ir)
"We spend some $800 million a year to combat the [spread of] drugs. The results of this expenditure guarantee the health of the nations, from Eastern Europe to the western U.S., and from North Africa to the Middle East. Imagine for a minute [what will happen] if there is one breach in this dam, what a catastrophe will ensue [in the West]. We are equally earnest in the fight against terror, and have sacrificed hundreds of our elite troops [IRGC and Qods Force troops deployed throughout the Middle East] in the uncompromising fight against violence and fundamentalism, and have also spent millions of dollars annually. Had we not paid this price, the region would have witnessed the rise and expansion of the savage ISIS caliphate over a very extensive area. The achievement of [our] serious [efforts] is the protection of human life throughout the world, regardless of nationality, race or religion.
"We do not expect the people of the West to repay us for the security and stability we have provided them, but they must know that enforcing the sanctions on Iran will undermine our ability to fight drug [trafficking] and terror. I warn those leading these sanctions that if our ability to fight drugs and terror at their source is harmed to any extent, you will face an avalanche of drugs, refugees, bombs and terror that you will not be able to escape unscathed. If Iran is weakened by sanctions, many [in the West] will be unable to live in security and peace, and if anyone disbelieves our claims, they should take a look at the map..."[1]
[1] President.ir, December 8, 2018.
