Before his visit to New York to participate in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi had an interview with the CBS TV channel, parts of which is as follows: CBS Reporter: Mr President, as you say, you want the nuclear industry for peaceful purposes, but you firstly use this industry to generate electricity, and secondly, there are some documents that you have had non-peaceful activities. President: In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Regarding the nuclear negotiations, its history and background show that the Americans withdrew from the JCPOA and the Europeans did not fulfil their obligations towards the Iranian nation. But the Islamic Republic of Iran adhered to its commitments and, according to the IAEA, not once but many times, Iran has fulfilled its commitments in the JCPOA. Violation of this obligation happened first on the part of the Americans, then the non-fulfilment of obligations happened on the part of the Europeans. The negotiations were to lift the sanctions because these sanctions against the Iranian nation are cruel, this is injustice towards the Iranian nation. When Iran has fulfilled its obligations, why should it be sanctioned? In addition, it is clear that no one can restrict or prohibit the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to have nuclear knowledge and industry. Many times, the Islamic Republic has declared that there is no nuclear weapon in its defines doctrine, and what the Islamic Republic emphasised and is emphasising is the use of nuclear knowledge, which has now become indigenous in Iran. These types of baseless claims have been answered many times. The Agency's cameras have been active in nuclear centres and it has been announced that what has happened in the Islamic Republic so far is in line with peaceful use of the nuclear technology. We have stated many times that due to the capabilities in this field, the use of the nuclear industry is only for peaceful purposes. Why do they create restrictions on the peaceful use of the nuclear industry? Today, the nuclear industry is used in the fields of medicine, agriculture, oil, gas and many other fields, and this peaceful use is the right of the Iranian people. Why should Iran be deprived of this right? Despite all these claims sometimes made by the Agency or the European countries, the Agency has declared in its 15th report that Iran has not violated anything in the peaceful use of the nuclear industry. The agency has published 15 reports so far. CBS reporter: Do you want to return to the agreement (JCPOA)? Because you know that some American officials believe that you do not intend to return to the JCPOA. President: We have stated many times that we are serious in the negotiations to reach a good and fair agreement and pursue the removal of sanctions. This claim (Iran's unwillingness to return to the JCPOA) is one of the baseless claims they make. Where is the problem of agreement now? Who and what position has created a problem for the agreement? Americans do not decide. The issue is very clear; We announced that one of the points that it is necessary is violating the agreement by the Americans. If a pact is made between countries in the world and then one side unilaterally withdraws from the pact, is there any place left in the world to make a pact? What does America want to do to compensate this violation of the treaty? What answer does it want to give to its people? What answer does it want to give to the people of the world? Does it want to say that I made a pact and then got out of it easily? This act of the Americans was blamed all over the world. CBS reporter: I am asking based on your statements. Do you believe that you cannot trust Americans in the future? And for this reason, I asked whether you intend to return to the JCPOA agreement. Because you don't seem to trust us. As you know, President Biden does not have the authority to impose anything on the future President of the United States. President: We cannot trust the Americans because of the behaviour we have seen so far, and therefore, if there is no guarantee, the Americans cannot be trusted, except that they have repeatedly violated agreements. CBS Reporter: It seems that there may not be an agreement at all. President: If we can secure our economic interests from this agreement and what the Islamic Republic emphasises on, that is "removal of oppressive sanctions", "confidence-building and reassuring guarantees" and "definitive settlement of security issues" will be realised, a good agreement is quite possible. We have shown that we are honest in the negotiations and we are looking for a good agreement with the lifting of sanctions. CBS reporter: If an agreement is reached, are you ready to release the four Americans imprisoned in Iran? Could this be part of the agreement? We were in the capital (Tehran) and in the market yesterday, people were very friendly towards Americans and they are hospitable and kind and I was wondering if they still look at America as the Great Evil or not? President: In principle, we do not agree with arresting and imprisoning anyone. But if a person has committed a crime, naturally, the judicial system must deal with this crime. People who are in prison are in prison by the judge's order. These people have Iranian citizenship. We do not recognise dual citizenship in our constitution. That is, if someone had Iranian citizenship and committed a crime, or had American citizenship and committed a crime in Iran, they can naturally be pursued. There are innocent Iranians in American prisons whose only crime was evading sanctions. They did not commit a crime to remain in American prisons, but should return to their families. If Americans have committed a crime in Iran, it can be investigated, but they link this issue to the JCPOA. In any case, we do not want anyone to stay in prison and these issues can be discussed. CBS Reporter:  It seems that there is no space or possibility to hold direct talks or resolve tensions between Iran and the United States. Despite this amount of hatred, is it possible to hold direct negotiations and direct communication between America and Iran? President: What the Americans have in the minds of the Iranian people in these years includes issues such as shooting down a passenger plane, inciting Saddam to go to war with Iran, and supporting terrorist groups and Mohajedin group. The Mohajedin who killed 17,000 Iranian people in the streets and bazaars and martyred the President and Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran are today supported by the Americans, this is in the minds of the Iranian people. How can the people of Iran be indifferent to the actions taken by America? There are still serious questions in the minds of the Iranian nation. Why did they do so much injustice to the people of Iran? What did the people of Iran want to do? Do the people of Iran have anything else to say other than independence, freedom and paying attention to their ideals? Why is the Iranian nation so oppressed? People say why are the rights of the Palestinian people so clearly violated for 70 years? These questions are in the minds of the people of Iran. Americans should answer these questions. CBS Reporter:  Sanctions are really hurting your country economically. President: We have the experience of negotiating with the Americans on issues such as "getting rid of Saddam's oppression" and "removing nuclear sanctions", but so far, the Iranian nation has not benefited from negotiations with the Americans. That is, the Americans did not show commitment to the Iranian nation in the negotiations and fulfilment of their commitments, and there is a question why the Americans are not committed to their commitments? CBS reporter:  How important is the lifting of sanctions? The Chinese, Russians and Iranians are getting closer. President: The lifting of sanctions is important for us, but you should know that the cruel sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran were a threat, but the Iranian nation turned this threat into an opportunity, and this opportunity has played a significant role in achieving industrial and economic progress for the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation has not stopped with these sanctions and you can see its effects. In the era when sanctions were imposed, one of the industries that were heavily sanctioned is Iran's military industry. But today, Iran has the most advanced military industries. The Americans themselves and the countries of the region know that we have the most advanced military industries. Developments in various fields are proof that sanctions could not stop us. The biggest reason for this is the words of the Americans themselves. The spokesman of the White House officially announced that the maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran has failed miserably.  Americans have adopted a tactic, they used to threaten countries with military attacks, now they are threatening different countries in the world with sanctions. Now a series of countries sanctioned by the Americans in the world are coming together more and increasing their joint cooperation. It is undeniable that sanctions create problems not only for us, but also for Americans and Europeans. Today, we are one of the major oil and gas producing countries, the American embargo means that neither they, nor the Europeans, nor other countries can use our oil and gas. We are definitely looking to solve the sanctions problem, but if the Americans do not lift the sanctions, we won't be stopped. We did not limit the development and progress of the country to this issue and we are not going to do it, but we are following two things: one; "Neutralisation of sanctions", two "lifting of sanctions" and our government is pursuing both issues, so we did not leave the negotiation table and now the ball is in the Americans' court. CBS reporter:  Regarding your military achievements, there is a report that you have built a drone that can reach Tel Aviv, Israel, is this true? President: We have advanced military industries and these advanced industries of ours play a deterrent and defensive role and do not allow any country to attack the Islamic Republic. Today, our situation is completely different from the time of the Imposed War [with Iraq]. In the Imposed War, all the European countries and the Americans helped Saddam, and therefore we suffered a lot of damage and sacrificed many martyrs. Many of our provinces and cities were destroyed, but today many of those cities and our defence industries have been rebuilt. Today, our military industries can have a deterrent power against the enemies. We consider this military power in the interest of Iran and the region. The presence of the Islamic Republic in the region is a security-building factor. CBS reporter:  May I ask you a personal question? Are you present in cyberspace? Are you active on Twitter? do you listen to music? Do you listen to Beethoven and other western music? President: Yes. Today's virtual space is a platform where many parts of life are defined in this space. Today, many life affairs and scientific, cultural, economic, social and communication activities take place in this space, and we are working day by day to develop this space in Iran. These measures bring better progress to the Islamic Republic day by day. The development of this space makes people's lives easier. CBS reporter:  I want to ask about your Excellency. I read that your wife is a university professor and you have two daughters, one is a sociologist and the other is a physicist. Is this true?  President: Yes, my wife is a university professor and my daughters have obtained high degrees in universities and are now both studying and teaching. They are interested in cultural and scientific works and follow them. I also encouraged them to be active in these works from the beginning. CBS reporter:  Do you have any grandchildren? How many grandchildren do you have? President: I have 4 grandchildren. I love my grandchildren very much. Grandchildren are very sweet. When I get tired, I relieve my tiredness by being with my grandchildren. CBS Correspondent:  There are many humanity and values that are common in all parts of the world, it's a pity that our people can't communicate with each other. Cruelty is against human nature. Man does not like to be cruel to others. All people are anti-oppression in the world, but sometimes their personal, party and people's interests require them to step on the truth and oppress others. We believe and we have stated many times that what is being done against the Palestinian nation is not only against a few Muslim people, but it is against humanity, because no human being is satisfied when people's house is destroyed, women and children remain under the rubble. Americans were present in Afghanistan for 20 years and what was the result of this presence? What benefit did it have for Afghanistan? They themselves said that it turns out that our 20-year presence there was wasted. The result of this presence of the Americans was murder, massacre, destruction of houses, the backwardness of Afghanistan and the atrocities that happened to the people of Afghanistan.  CBS reporter:  Do you believe that the Holocaust happened and that six million Jews were killed? President: Historical issues should be left to those who are researchers. Historical events cannot be removed from history. Researchers should be allowed to investigate these issues. But is it the right thing that in Europe they say that whoever investigates the Holocaust will be taken to court? Isn't this way of dealing with research and knowledge enhancement contradictory? It should be left to researchers, researchers and historians to investigate this issue. An event has been claimed in history, and there are signs that it happened. If this happens in the world, let it be researched and determined for all ages and generations. CBS Correspondent:  I am asking for your personal opinion. President: My question is, is it the right thing to prevent research on this issue? Research should be done in this field and let the results of the research come to the scientific, research and research centres and let the people know about this. No matter what historians say about this matter, history cannot be denied in this matter. CBS reporter:  Do you support Israel's right to exist? President: You see, the people of Palestine are the reality. This is the right of the people of Palestine who were forced to leave their houses and motherland. The people who were all displaced in the neighbouring countries and gave many martyrs, Gaza which today is besieged by the enemies of the Palestinian people and turned into a big prison, this is the reality that exists today. What we announced is that today the Americans are supporting a regime that has usurped the country of Palestine. At different times, the Americans and Europeans could not solve the Palestinian issue with various agreements such as Camp David, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Oslo, and they could not make this false regime that exists in Palestine stable.  The solution to the Palestinian issue is not to kill the people of this country, the solution to the Palestinian issue is to give rights to the Palestinian people, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian. Don't you say many times that we believe in the people's vote, so refer to the Palestinian people's vote. CBS reporter:  You know that Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have recognised Israel and have diplomatic relations with this country, and it is said that Saudi Arabia has started direct negotiations with Israel. I wanted to ask your opinion on this matter. President: Can these countries that seek normalisation with the Zionist Regime solve the Palestinian issue? Anyone who joins hands with the Zionist Regime today is participating in the oppression of the Palestinian people. CBS reporter:  Do you want to restart your relations with Saudi Arabia and improve your relations? President: We have always put regional talks on the agenda. I have announced that our relations are based on the policy of neighbourhood. We want to have good relations with our neighbours. Five rounds of negotiations have been held with Saudi Arabia in Iraq and in Baghdad. The next round of negotiation may be done. There are issues that can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation between us and Saudi Arabia. CBS reporter:  You want to travel to New York and address the United Nations General Assembly. Biden will be there. Would you like to meet President Biden and meet him face to face? President: I have no plans to meet. I don't think such a meeting will happen. I don't have any plans to meet with him and as I mentioned before, I don't see any benefit in meeting or negotiating. CBS reporter:  What do you think is the difference? From your point of view, what is the difference between the Trump administration and the Biden administration? President: The claim of the new American government is that we are different from Trump and the previous administration. They have announced this to us many times through messages and they have also said this themselves, but we have to look at their performance to see if their performance has changed or not. If there is no difference, it should be said on what subject do you differ? The current American government has said that we do not accept the methods used by the previous government and we want to change the methods, but what we have seen in practice has not been changed. We can see that the sanctions have continued while the sanctions were not supposed to continue and the commitments in the agreement were supposed to be fulfilled, but the commitments have not been fulfilled so far. I think the new American government should prove in practice that it is different from the previous government. It means to lift the sanctions in practice and adhere to the commitments that the previous government messed up by withdrawing from the JCPOA. CBS reporter:  If the sanctions are lifted, will you go back to your nuclear development program? President: We have announced that our nuclear industry is in the direction of economic development, such as the fields of industry, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals and the like, so why are they preventing Iran from using this legal right of its own? But we use this legal right in any case. We have never sought to develop nuclear weapons. CBS Reporter:  Let's change the subject and ask about your background. You are under economic sanctions. But there are also individual sanctions against you. You were a member of the commission and committee that was responsible for punishing 5,000 people. Do you regret this action? President: First point, what document do you have for this matter except for the claim made by the Mojahedin? The second point is that I was in the position of deputy prosecutor at the time it was claimed, and even today, any lawyer who has the least knowledge knows what the duties and tasks of the deputy prosecutor are. In all the legal responsibilities that I had in the judicial system, I was always a defender of human rights and I never neglected defending people's rights. I have this question for America and Europeans, why did you give shelter to those whom you yourself registered in the list of terrorists and when they officially announced that they killed the President and Prime Minister and 17 thousand people in Iran?  CBS reporter: I'm a little confused. I don't know if this group you speak of made the accusations! President: Everyone who has committed a crime in Iran has been tried in official courts and has been punished for their actions, and everyone who has committed terror and crimes and thrown explosives in people's homes has also been tried in court. And the court has dealt with their case according to the law. What has been dealt with in the courts is exactly related to the crimes that each person has committed. It was like this from the beginning and it is like this now and it will be like this after this. Anyone who commits a crime will be dealt with according to the law. CBS reporter:  Is it true that you promised revenge after the martyrdom of General Soleimani? President: The terrorist groups had made the region and the countries of Syria and Iraq insecure, and the people also stood up against the terrorist groups. Haj Qasem Soleimani is the hero of the fight against terrorism. That is, if we want to introduce a symbol of the fight against terrorism in the world today, Haj Qasem Soleimani and Mr Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis are two symbols of the fight against terrorism, and their efforts and the efforts of the Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian forces in the region brought security. Today, if you see security in Iraq and Syria, it is due to the efforts of Haj Qasem Soleimani. Should someone who is a symbol of the fight against terrorism be applauded or assassinated? What the Americans, meaning the current administration and Trump himself, did to assassinate Mr Haj Qasem Soleimani was really a crime. Should this issue be addressed or not? The question is, should justice be followed or not? And those who committed this crime and cruelty should be prosecuted or not? What we as the Islamic Republic pursue and will pursue is the implementation of justice. We must pursue the execution of justice regarding the crime committed by Trump and his accomplices regarding the assassination of a fighter who played a major role in the security of the region, and we are determined to execute justice, that is, to pursue the assassination of Haj Qasem Soleimani. During my trip to Iraq as the head of the judiciary, I spoke to the head of the Supreme Court of Iraq and asked them to pursue the issue seriously, and after that, when I became the President, I again said that it should be done through the Supreme Court. Iraq and authorities and legal authorities in the world should pursue this issue. We will never forget this crime and we will pursue it. CBS reporter:  Do you think it includes assassination? President: The assassination of Haj Qasem Soleimani was a state assassination. You saw that Mr Trump officially said that he ordered the assassination. Shouldn't the person who ordered the assassination be investigated? Why has he assassinated a warrior like Haj Qasem Soleimani? We must pursue the assassination of martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani until justice is served CBS reporter: What do you mean by justice? An eye for an eye means terror against terror? President: I will tell you the point. The Islamic Republic of Iran has so much courage that it officially declared Ain al-Assad. Anywhere in the world, we take action, we announce it, and we have this courage. We do not do the kind of actions that the Americans and the Zionist Regime are doing in the world and in the region today and that cause insecurity. The Islamic Republic of Iran has so much courage that if it strikes Ain al-Assad or supports Lebanon's Hezbollah, it officially declares that we have no qualms about this matter. We must pursue the assassination of martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani until justice is served. CBS reporter:  I have a question about Salman Rushdie against whom a fatwa was issued. What do you think about trying to kill a writer for what he wrote? President: Insulting the first personality of the universe means insulting the prophet, insulting the holy being of Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH), insulting Jesus and Moses and insulting Abraham means insulting all prophets, insulting all Abrahamic religions and insulting a one and a half billion Muslims in the world. In my opinion, those who deserve to be blamed are those who support him in some way and spread an umbrella of support over his head. CBS reporter: Can you give some explanations about the situation of women in Iran. Are the restrictions against women intensified and are they under pressure? President: Everyone has views, rules and regulations in their social life as well as different countries. Muslim people and our women and girls have a very deep-rooted, civilised and cultural moral and spirit, which is not related to this year, last year, 40 years ago, or 100 years ago. In fact, it can be said that for hundreds of years, the people of this land have lived with hijab, chastity and respecting the necessary privacy. This is not related to these 40 years. If you study the history of the Iranian nation correctly, you will see that our women have lived with chaste morals for years and centuries, and this is not related to now. Even now, our dear people and our women and girls have this spirit and therefore they always observe it as a spontaneous thing. No one has ever taught them or given them personal homework, but they consider themselves bound. These are the beliefs of the people. You see, the life of the people of this land has always been like this, which means that this is rooted in their beliefs. What is certain is that no one here has anything to do with people's private lives and they do not in any way attack people's private lives. In social issues, people also observe it themselves, that is, they know that there is a law and everyone adheres to this law. If it is seen against the law in some cases, it is emphasised that no one has the right to engage in extra-legal and illegal dealings. CBS Reporter:  In your government, it became possible for women to attend stadiums. Looks like you relaxed the rules a bit. President: Our women are present in sports and you can see that the anthem of the Islamic Republic is played in many sports fields when our girls and women are proud. Women are present in many social issues, they are present in the fields of science and education. You mentioned my family; All the members of our family, our daughters and my wife play a role in social and scientific issues and attend universities. Today, women play a role in the Islamic society. I think that sometimes some people are angry with this role-playing of our women. The issues should be seen in real Iran. I told you previously that claims that there are signs of the Holocaust should be researched. Regarding this issue, I believe you should see for yourselves what happened in the atmosphere of the Iranian nation, in the atmosphere of our girls and women? The Islamic revolution has given greatness to the women of Iran. Today, how many female students are there in universities? How many male students? And before the victory of the revolution, how many of these women were in universities? Is the amount comparable at all? Let me say 10 times, 20 times, 100 times, today women are present in universities, in the social arena, educational, medical and therapeutic centres, the Supreme Court of the country, in the parliament, in the government and in various departments. CBS reporter: They say time is up. If I didn't ask you a question that you would like us to ask, what is it? President: We believe that there are people in America who are experiencing injustice today, and we sometimes see some footages through the media how black and white people are oppressed. We consider oppression against the people of America, Europe, Afghanistan, Palestine and any people from the rulers as distasteful and condemnable, so I believe that if people are oppressed in America itself, we will condemn it. We condemn such actions in Europe itself. There is no difference between the people of Europe and America, Asia and Africa. We condemn oppression everywhere in the world. Why do the Americans decide to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years? Why didn't they look into these 20 years to see what results their presence had for Afghanistan? How much money did they spend, how many American soldiers were killed, how many Afghan people were martyred, how many Afghan children were crippled and disabled? how much oppression was done to these people? Look into the results of their presence in Iraq and Afghanistan? What is the effect of their presence in the region? I believe that the Americans should end these presences and let the countries of the region decide for themselves. My message to the US government is to leave this region and all regions of the world. Let the officials and people of different countries and regions of the world make their own decisions for their own country and region. Foreign interference and American interference in other countries yields nothing but chaos and insecurity. CBS reporter: Thank you very much Mr President.  President: Thank you and all your colleagues, I hope that I was able to answer your questions.