Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that Iran will proudly circumvent the US sanctions, which he branded as cruel and illegal.
“American (officials) say Iran would bypass the sanctions; that’s right, we announce with great pride that we will bypass your illegal and cruel sanctions, because your sanctions are cruel, wrong and against the international law,” Rouhani said in a meeting with Economy Ministry staff on Monday.
The US government has admitted that it has been unable to find a replacement for Iranian oil in the world market, the president said, adding that Tehran is quite capable of selling its oil under any circumstances even if Washington did not grant waivers to the oil customers.
The US should not speak to the Iranian nation with the language of force, pressure and sanctions, he underlined.
It is not only Iran that likes to see the current US administration to end as soon as possible, but also Washington’s European allies have expressed such a desire in meetings with Iranian officials, Rouhani added.
The president further underlined that any negotiation should lead to results and come with respect, noting that leaders of four major countries sought to mediate a meeting between him and US president Donald Trump during a recent trip to New York for the UN General Assembly.
“Such an issue (meeting) would not need mediation and so many messages. You (the US) had better honor commitments, then we will talk,” Rouhani added.
The US government imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran on November 4.
On May 8, the US president pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
The US had announced plans to drive Iran’s oil exports down to zero, but backed off from its policy and granted waivers to at least 8 countries that import Iranian oil.
Source: Tasnim News Agency
