Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday stressed that respect for religions should top the list of priorities at the United Nations.

Raisi denounced the indifference to hatred towards Islam and cultural segregation in Western societies, such as banning the hijab and desecrating the Quran. Raisi raised a copy of the Holy Quran in denunciation of the aggression against the Holy Quran.

"We are now facing a war against Islam and against the concept of family, which constitutes a pillar of human progress," Raisi said.

The Iranian President stressed that "an attack on natural concepts, including the concept of the family, is an attack on humanity," stressing the necessity of "protecting the nucleus of society, which is based on marriage between a woman and a man." He also called on all religious authorities to fulfill their obligations to protect the value of family.

Raisi: West's Hegemony not in line with contemporary world

Regarding the developments taking place in the world, Raisi explained that "the dominance of the West is not in line today with the reality of the contemporary world, and the liberal system that sought to globalize American values has become obsolete."

"There is hope for establishing a new and fair world order with the emergence of new powers," He added, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for economic and political transformations in the world.

In this regard, the Iranian President pointed out that "some countries seek to spread strife in different regions of the world."

He stressed that the international community and countries in West Asia "today discovered the truth about Western democracies that seek to prolong wars."

Iran's policy, according to Raisi, is based on "a good-neighborly policy that seeks to increase regional cooperation and prohibit external interference from the Caucasus to the Gulf."

He stressed that "the stability of the region is in the interest of all its countries," noting that what countries such as Syria, Palestine, Yemen, and Afghanistan are witnessing show "the future of the region will improve through mutual trust and cooperation."

Iran has gotten rid of the foundations of terrorism

Raisi stated that "neighborhood security is part of Iran’s security," stressing that any "foreign presence in the region is the root of the problem."

Regarding what Iran has witnessed recently, Raisi explained that his country "got rid of the foundations of terrorism and created new opportunities for the West Asia region."

"Iran's enemies sought to impose their will on us, but our people defeated their policies and won," he said noting that "some intelligence agencies transfer terrorist groups from one region to another."

"Why did you provide a haven for terrorist groups that killed 17,000 Iranians?" Raisi asked.

"Have you ever heard about those who were injured by the chemical weapons that Saddam used against our people?" he said, adding that "many of Iran's achievements in the region came from the sacrifices of the heroic martyr Qassem Soleimani in the fight against terrorism."

The Iranian President stated that "many countries in the region would have been destroyed because of ISIS terrorism, which Soleimani fought," adding that his martyrdom "was a gift to ISIS because instead of acknowledging his heroism, he was assassinated."

"We will not forget the blood of martyr Soleimani, and we will not stop holding those responsible for his assassination accountable," He added.

Raisi discusses the future of the region

"Isn’t it time to end the occupation of Palestine and recognize it as an independent state? And isn’t it time to end the occupation of Lebanese and Syrian lands by the Israeli entity?" Raisi asked.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Iranian President stressed that "any use of violence and war in Ukraine was due to American plans to weaken European countries."

Speaking about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the President of Iran noted that "America left the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and committed a crime against the world."

"The United States must admit whether it wants the joint plan of action or not," he continued, stressing that "nuclear weapons do not exist in Iranian doctrine."

He stressed that "Iran will not give up its right to obtain nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," adding that the US sanctions on Iran have not yielded any results, and Washington must stop these sanctions.

Raisi concluded his speech before the United Nations General Assembly by saying: "These archaic countries represent the past and we represent the future."