TEHRAN- Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, on Monday emphasized that local resources should be used to address the nation's issues rather than waiting for other countries to adopt a different strategy.

In his first news conference since officially assuming office, Raisi said indigenous production is the key factor, noting that relying on foreigners will not provide a solution.

He further emphasized that dependence on foreigners is a waste of time.

Raisi also said his government is committed to reduce inflation.

In response to a question about advantages of Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), he said this would be very important as it would strengthen Iran’s ties with Asian economies.

Iran was accepted as a member of the SCO in September last year. Iran should take certain steps to become a full member.

This year’s summit of the SCO will be held on September 15-16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

He said that from Tehran’s perspective, membership in the SCO and ECO as well as relations with other countries, particularly neighbors, are very significant. “We want to establish balance in all our international interactions, particularly with regard to our friendly and adjacent nations.”

The president also said Iran is committed to deepening its relationship with China.

Raisi also said nuclear industry and capacity are Iranians' rights.

“They must notice whether anything will remain of them or not” The Zionist regime has created a commotion as diplomatic efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal have made considerable progress.

Iran has been insisting time and against that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes.

“We have consistently declared that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's ideology,” Raisi said in response to the Zionist regime's unsubstantiated claims over Iran's nuclear program.

On the Zionist regime’s military threats against Iran, he said, “I want to tell them to pay attention to the time between decision and action. If they decide to do so, they may not be given the time to do any act.”

Raisi added in the interval between making a decision and implementing it they must notice “whether anything will remain of them or not.”

Raisi went on to say that Iran will strongly work to neutralize sanctions against the Islamic Republic but “we have not abandoned the negotiating table” for lifting them.

The president also praised both the volume of relations with neighboring countries and Iran’s oil exports.

Asked about Iran's frozen assets, he stated that while some of them had been freed, others remained blocked as a result of U.S. harsh and unlawful actions.

He also emphasized the need to resolve disputes regarding the Safeguards issue surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

Raisi reiterates Iran’s support for ceasefire in YemenIn response to a question by a Yemeni reporter, Raisi said, “We support any ceasefire that leads to the lifting of the blockade and the protection of Yemenis.”

Additionally, he characterized restoring diplomatic ties with the Zionist regime as a betrayal of Palestinians.

Raisi also said the Islamic Republic pursues ties with neighbors in answer to a reporter from Qatar on regional negotiations.

He stated that the neighborhood strategy was formed in the first year of his administration and that in the following phases, bilateral relations would be upgraded to multilateral and regional levels.

So far, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been holding six rounds of talks mediated by Iraq.