Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the latest round of sanctions imposed by the US against Iranian banks as “cruel” and “inhumane”, noting that the new move by Washington will fail to crush to the Iranian nation’s resistance amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In talks with Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Rouhani said the by the US government to sanction the country’s financial institutions is for domestic propaganda and political purposes.
The sanctions are “inhumane”, and Washington is unable to crush the Iranian nation’s resistance through such measures, Rouhani was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also condemned the sanctions, stressing that “the US regime wants to blow up” remaining channels to pay for food and medicine amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“Amid Covid19 pandemic, US regime wants to blow up our remaining channels to pay for food & medicine. Iranians WILL survive this latest of cruelties. But conspiring to starve a population is a crime against humanity. Culprits & enablers—who block our money—WILL face justice,” Zarif tweeted late on Thursday.
The US Treasury Department on Thursday slapped fresh sanctions on Iran’s financial sector, targeting 18 banks in an effort to further choke off Iranian revenues.
It claimed in a statement the prohibitions did not apply to transactions to sell agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran, saying it understood the need for humanitarian goods.
Source: Iranian media
