ROME—Iranian President Hassan Rouhani invited American businessmen to join their European counterparts in investing in Iran as he wrapped up three days of multi-billion dollar deal-making in Italy by saying the lifting of European sanctions had opened a new era of “win-win” collaboration.
Rouhani heads next to Paris, where his originally scheduled visit was called off after the Nov. 13 attacks.
Rouhani told reporters that he and Pope Francis discussed the need for religious leaders to speak out against extremism and terrorism during their audience Tuesday. But in an apparent reference to the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, Rouhani said freedom of expression “doesn’t mean offending that which is sacred to other people’s faith.”
Francis was asked last year about the Charlie Hebdo attacks and suggested that a violent reaction could be expected when someone’s faith was insulted. He said while violence must be condemned, anyone who insults his mother can expect to be punched.
Rouhani concurred and said Francis had told him the anecdote. While saying extremist violence must be condemned, “All religions are to be respected, their books and the millions of people who follow the faith,” Rouhani said. Insulting them, he said, “creates division and doesn’t help anyone.”
