Iran’s outgoing president on Sunday acknowledged his nation at times “did not tell part of the truth” to its people during his eight-year tenure, as he prepares to leave office with his signature nuclear deal with world powers in tatters and tensions high with the West.
President Hassan Rouhani said, aired on state television, “What we told people was not contrary to reality, but we did not tell part of the truth to people,” Rouhani said at his last Cabinet meeting as president.
“Because I did not find it useful and I was afraid it would harm national unity.” He did not elaborate on what he meant by his remarks.
“If we have a defect, we apologize to the people and ask them for forgiveness and mercy,” Rouhani said.
He pointed to the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
However, that deal now sits in tatters after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. —AP
