TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hassan Rouhani was sworn in as Iranian President for his second term on Saturday and vowed to continue constructive interaction with the international community.
Over 100 world leaders and political officials attended the inauguration ceremony of Rouhani in Iran's parliament.
Attended by Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Rouhani cited his oath and vowed to use all means of power to serve the country, Iranian nation and the Islamic establishment.
"I swear to protect the constitution and justice and to devote myself to protecting freedom and people's dignity and rights on the basis of constitution," he said during the inauguration.
He vowed to defend the country's borders and politico- cultural independence.
After the ceremony, Rouhani addressed the participants that during the past four years in office, his government has achieved economic improvement in close interaction with the rest of the world.
He hailed the substantial economic growth of Iran, curb of inflation, Iran's re-emerging as an influential player in the global energy market as the main achievements of his administration in the domestic sector.
However, there are still challenges, including the environmental issues, unemployment and establishing economic justice which his government has to deal with in the next four years, he said.
As pertaining to international achievements in his first term in office, he referred to the signing of nuclear deal with six major world powers, namely Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, which put an end to a decade-long dispute over the country's sensitive nuclear program.
The deal put an end to the "oppressive" sanctions by the West against Iran, he said.
The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in July 2015 and was implemented in January 2016.
Based on the deal, nuclear-related sanctions on various Iranian business and financial sectors were lifted, but it put more strict limits on its nuclear program.
Also, Rouhani said the United States is not a trustable country to work with over international issues.
Speaking following his swearing-in ceremony, Rouhani criticized the United States for threatening the implementation of the nuclear deal.
He said that the Islamic republic would remain committed to the international nuclear deal and would not violate the deal signed two years ago.
"However, Iran would not be silent in the face of U.S. threats to the implementation of the deal," he said, adding that "Tehran would reciprocate every threatening move by Washington in this regard."
The Iranian President warned that "those who are thinking of tearing the accord into pieces, in actuality, would harm their political life."
Rouhani was alluding to the U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on Iran's nuclear deal during his presidential campaign, as he repeatedly criticized the accord, calling it "the worst deal ever negotiated."
On Thursday, Iran denounced the recent endorsement of new sanctions against the Islamic republic by the U.S. president, saying that it violates nuclear deal.
Recent unilateral sanctions against Iran by the United States were mainly in response to Tehran's growing missile program, the White House said, stressing that Iran's ballistic missile tests were in violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Tehran has emphasized that its ballistic missile advancement is for deterrent purposes and the country will never negotiate over it.
On Saturday, Rouhani emphasized that any pressure against Iran by the United States will unite the Iranians and will follow their unified response.
The Iranian president called for friendly relations with the regional countries and its neighbors which he said are prerequisites for establishing peace and security.
On Thursday, Rouhani vowed to focus on economic growth of the country as he was endorsed by the Iranian Supreme Leader as Iranian president for his second term.
Rouhani said that his main concern for the next four years would be to improve the economy of the country to promote social justice and eliminate poverty.
He also said that his administration would make the utmost effort to eradicate corruption and contain inflation.
Rouhani pledged to adhere to the "resilient economy," the outlines of which have already been drawn by the Supreme Leader, and make use of domestic potential for economic growth.
