President Rouhani: Saudis unfamiliar with election power

EghtesadOnline: President Hassan Rouhani emphasized on Monday that Iran's power lies on its popular support not just in military capabilities, expressing hope that Saudi Arabia would also hold elections one day.

News ID: ۷۷۶۴۳۵

22 May 2017

'Saudis have been and are our friends, and we hope the Saudi government also would finally find the right way,' said Rouhani in his first press conference since the 12th presidential election which culminated in his re-election.

“Military power is just one part of a country's capabilities,' he said in response to a question by American television CBS reporter whether Iran would react to the US multi-million sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia by buying new military equipment, IRNA reported.

Rouhani emphasized that 'the basis of power in any country is its national power which is secured by its people participating in elections'.

He added that the US President who saw the forty five-million participation of Iranians in the election May 19, visited a country the people of which had never seen no ballot box and did not know the meaning of elections, referring to Donald Trump's Sunday visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian president expressed hope that Saudi Arabia one day would hold elections to stop the hereditary governments, he said, adding that the day, Saudi Arabia would be far more powerful than today.