Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday delivered his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Rouhani described U.S. President Donald Trump’s harsh remarks against Iran at the United Nations’ opening speech as “absurd” and “hateful” which were below the dignity of the international organization.  

Below is a summary of his speech:

Four months ago, over 41 million people—constituting 73% of Iran’s total eligible voters—came to the polls in the country’s 12th presidential election and once again expressed confidence in my platform, which calls for moderation and respect for human rights and prosperity and economic revitalization at home, and constructive engagement around the world. Their vote manifested the maturity of the electorate in a society that has experienced free and democratic governance for only four decades.  This was not merely a vote for a president, but a huge political investment by our population; a resilient people who truly constitute our most reliable asset.
Human and citizens’ rights, along with the quest for justice and Islamic values, have constituted the most pivotal demands of the Iranian people in over 150 years of struggle, and particularly in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In its first term, while pursuing nuclear negotiations internationally, my government focused at home on the deliberation and articulation of citizens’ rights leading to the promulgation of “The Charter of Citizens’ Rights” and its issuance for implementation. Adoption of this Charter conformed to the demands of a people who rose against dictatorial regimes, aspiring to restore their rights and human dignity 111 years ago in the Constitutional Revolution, and again in the Islamic Revolution 39 years ago.
I declare before this august global assembly that moderation is the inclination as well as the chosen path of the great Iranian people. Moderation seeks neither isolation nor hegemony; It implies neither indifference, nor intransigence.
The path of moderation is the path of peace; but a just and inclusive peace: not peace for one nation, and war and turmoil for others;
Moderation is freedom and democracy; but in an inclusive and comprehensive manner: not purporting to promote freedom in one place while supporting dictators elsewhere;
Moderation is the synergy of ideas and not the dance of swords;  
And finally, the path of moderation nurtures beauty.  Deadly-weapons exports are not beautiful; rather, peace is.  
We in Iran strive to build peace and promote the human rights of peoples and nations. We never condone tyranny and we always defend the voiceless. We never threaten anyone; but we do not tolerate threats from anyone.  Our discourse is one of dignity and respect, and we are unmoved by threats and intimidation.   We believe in dialogue and negotiation based on equal footing and mutual respect.

We cannot forget that civilians in many of our cities became the targets of long-range missile attacks by Saddam Hussein during his 8-year war of aggression against us.
In today’s globalized world, peace, security, stability and the progress of all nations are intertwined. It is not possible that a rogue and racist regime trample upon the most basic rights of the Palestinians, and the usurpers of this land enjoy security.  It is simply impossible for anybody to aspire to attain long-term stability, prosperity and development, while Muslims in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Myanmar and so many other places live in misery, war and poverty.
Throughout its history, Iran has been the bastion of tolerance for various religions and ethnicities.  We are the same people who rescued the Jews from Babylonian servitude; opened our arms to welcome Armenian Christians in our midst, and created the “Iranian cultural continent” with a unique mix of diverse religions and ethnicities. I represent the same Iran that has historically assisted the oppressed: centuries ago, we supported the rights of the Jewish people and today we insist on the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people.  Iran is the still the same country: supporting justice and seeking tranquility.
Today, we are on the frontlines of fighting terror and religious extremism in the Middle east; not for sectarian or ethnic reasons, but for an ethical, humanitarian and strategic one.
Iran does not seek to restore its ancient empire, impose its official religion on others, or export its revolution through the force of arms.  We are so confident in the depth of our culture, the truth of our faith and tenacity and longevity of our revolution that we will never seek to export any of them in the way neo-colonialists do, with the heavy boots of soldiers. 
JCPOA a model to settle world issues

The call of moderation is from a nation that has been committed to it. We are not preaching moderation, but practicing it.  The JCPOA is a case in point.
The deal is the outcome of two years of intensive multilateral negotiations, overwhelmingly applauded by the international community and endorsed by the Security Council as a part of Resolution 2231.  As such, it belongs to the international community in its entirety, and not to only one or two countries.
The JCPOA can become a new model for global interactions; interactions based on mutual constructive engagement between all of us.  We have opened our doors to engagement and cooperation.  We have concluded scores of development agreements with advanced countries of both East and West.  Unfortunately, some have deprived themselves of this unique opportunity. They have imposed sanctions really against themselves, and now they feel betrayed. We were not deceived, nor did we cheat or deceive anyone.  We have ourselves determined the extent of our nuclear program.  We never sought to achieve deterrence through nuclear weapons; we have immunized ourselves through our knowledge and – more importantly — the resilience of our people. This is our talent and our approach.  Some have claimed to have wanted to deprive Iran of nuclear weapons; weapons that we have continuously and vociferously rejected.  And, of course, we were not and are not distressed for forgoing an option that we in fact never sought.  It is reprehensible that the rogue Zionist regime that threatens regional and global security with its nuclear arsenal and is not committed to any international instrument or safeguard, has the audacity to preach peaceful nations. The defense capabilities of Iran, including our missiles, are solely defensive deterrents for the maintenance of regional peace and stability and the prevention of adventurist tendencies of irrational aspirants.
I declare before you that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first country to violate the agreement; but it will respond decisively and resolutely to its violation by any party.  It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by “rogue” newcomers to the world of politics: the world will have lost a great opportunity. But such unfortunate behavior will never impede Iran’s course of progress and advancement.    By violating its international commitments, the new U.S. administration only destroys its own credibility and undermines international confidence in negotiating with it, or accepting its word or promise.

The ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric, filled with ridiculously baseless allegations, that was uttered before this august body by the president of America yesterday (Tuesday), was not only unfit to be heard at the United Nations – which was established to promote peace and respect between nations – but indeed contradicted the demands of our nations from this world body to bring governments together to combat war and terror.

We will never allow our people to become victims of catastrophic delusions again’

I wish to underscore here that the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including our missiles, are solely defensive deterrents for the maintenance of regional peace and stability and the prevention of adventurist tendencies of irrational aspirants. We cannot forget that civilians in many of our cities became the targets of long-range missile attacks by Saddam Hussein during his 8-year war of aggression against us. We will never allow our people to become victims of such catastrophic delusions again.
Instability and extremist violence have only been exacerbated in our region through the military interventions of extra-regional actors – the same powers that try to sell ever more of their deadly weapons to other states by accusing Iran of fomenting instability. I want to emphasize that foreign intervention and the imposition of alien wishes on the people of the region will only widen and deepen the crises in our region. The crises in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain do not have military solutions and can only be resolved through cessation of hostilities, and the acceptance of the will and wishes of the populaces.
The United States Government should explain to its own people why, after spending billions of dollars of the assets of the people of America and of our region, instead of contributing to peace and stability, it has only brought war, misery, poverty and the rise of terrorism and extremism to the region.