Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said no one in the world expected Iran to show this level of resistance against the US all-out economic war.

“We are witnessing an all-out economic war. The war imposed on us during the past three years is far worse than the eight-year imposed war [against Iraqi Saddam regime]. This was an economic war and no one in the world expected Iran to demonstrate such a good resistance,” Rouhani said while addressing the inauguration of several projects in Eastern provinces through video-conference on Thursday.

“Many world leaders ask me during our contacts that ‘how could you resist in this war?’” he said, as quoted by Mehr news agency.

Despite economic pressure, the Islamic Republic’s gas, water, and electricity supply was not cut, the Iranian president said.

“Iran did not need to import fuel, rather, the country turned into a fuel exporter.”

After withdrawal from the nuclear deal (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – JCPOA) in May 2018, the administration of President Donald Trump imposed severe sanctions against Tehran in what Washington described as ‘Maximum Pressure Policy’ to force Iran into a new deal.

However, the Islamic Republic has ruled out the possibility of re-negotiation over the JCPOA, saying it will continue ‘maximum resistance’ in the face of US’ ‘bullying’ behavior.

Source: Iranian media