Speaking on Sunday while receiving the credentials of the new British ambassador to Tehran, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi described the independence and freedom as the main slogan of the Iranian people and emphasised, "Our country is truly independent and our independence is not just a claim. Given your good knowledge of Persian, you should explain the true meaning of these words in Iran to your government officials”.
Ayatollah Raisi emphasised, "The spirit of independence and freedom-seeking is in the Iranian nation’s heart, and whenever they feel that other countries are bullying, they do not succumb to coercion and will react".
The President stated that the best way to work and cooperate with Iran is to observe the principle of mutual respect, adding, "The Islamic Republic does not accept anything that is against the right thing and Europe and the West should view Iran as an independent country based on their experiences”.
Today, human rights have become a political tactic to strike at countries, he said, adding, "We feel responsible to respect human rights based on their views and religious beliefs, and you know how many of those who claim to support human rights treat their nation”.
Addressing the new British ambassador in Tehran, the president said, "Reflect and convey the facts that you see in Iran correctly and realistically to your country".
The new British ambassador to Tehran, Simon Shercliff, while presenting his credentials to Ayatollah Raisi, stated that he had travelled to Tehran for the second time in 20 years as ambassador, saying, "I have good experience and knowledge of Iran and my main goal is to try to improve the relations between the two countries with a positive and constructive view”.
Referring to the history of Britain-Iran relations, Shercliff expressed hope that a new era of relations between the two countries would be created and that he would play his role well in achieving this goal.