Rouhani: We’re seriously after nullifying sanctions

“That the Leader told [us] to neutralize the sanctions, we are pursuing this moment by moment. Every time money enters the country and goods are exported, you should know that hours of fights have been behind it,” Rouhani pointed out.

He explained that this is something that has been done for hours and moments since two years ago, when the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear agreement, IRNA reported.

The U.S. government, under Donald Trump, has implemented a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, including the targeting of Iran’s economy with harsh sanctions. The maximum pressure campaign was launched after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal.

The United States’ sanctions have severely hampered Iran’s power to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which has so far claimed the lives of over 54,000.

President Rouhani also said the sanctions have prevented Iran’s access to the coronavirus vaccines, adding that this is the case for all drugs and goods that Iran wants to import.

“But we overcome this problem, and we are overcoming this problem on a daily basis, and we are nullifying sanctions on both exports and imports,” he added.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in remarks on December 16 that the officials should refrain from pinning hope on the lifting of sanctions and, instead, work to nullify the sanctions.

“Lifting sanctions is in the enemy's hands. Nullifying them is in ours. We should work more on nullifying than removing them. I don't say we shouldn't pursue removing sanctions. But sanctions that were supposed to be lifted according to the JCPOA, 4 years ago, have intensified,” the Leader said.

It was the second time in less than a month that the Leader underlined the need to nullify the U.S. sanctions on Iran rather than removing them. In late November, he said that Iran had tried to remove the sanctions but they were not removed.

“There are two ways to tackle sanctions: 1) removing sanctions 2) nullifying and overcoming them. We tried the first option, removing sanctions, by negotiating for a few years, but to no use. The second option may have difficulties in the beginning but will have a favorable end,” the Leader pointed out in November. “If succeed, through hard work and innovation, in overcoming the sanctions and the other side witnesses how sanctions were nullified, it will abandon sanctions gradually.”

On December 17, Rouhani said he is confident that the next U.S. administration will abandon its sanctions policy against the Iranian people and will bow under their “national power” and resistance.

Highlighting the importance of maintaining national unity, Rouhani said, “It is this national unity that engenders national power for us and forces the enemy to bow down in the face of the people’s rights.” 

“I am confident that the heroic steadfastness of the Iranian nation will make the next U.S. administration genuflect in the face of the people. This steadfastness will force them to return to their commitments [under the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran] and will create cracks in sanctions,” the president added.

Source: Tehran Times