Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Iran is in no hurry to return to its obligations under the nuclear deal with word powers, stressing that the US must lift the sanctions.
In a televised address on the Iranian New Year, Imam Khamenei underlined Iran’s victory against the policy of “maximum pressure” exerted against Tehran by the US administrations, describing sanctions and economic blockade as criminal acts.
“The previous fool [US president] had designed the ‘maximum pressure’ policy in order to corner Iran and take Iran to the negotiating table and impose his arrogant demands on a weak Iran. However, he disappeared in such a way that both himself and his country were disgraced while the Islamic Iran is standing fast and proud,” Imam Khamenei said, referring to Donald Trump.
“Americans must lift all sanctions first and then we will verify this, and if they are truly lifted, we will return to our JCPOA commitments without any problems. We cannot trust the Americans’ promises,” the Leader stressed, referring to the official name of the 2015 deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“We are in no hurry. Yes, we also believe that opportunities must be taken advantage of, but we will show no hurry, because in some cases its risks outweigh the benefits. We acted hastily [in joining] the JCPOA.”
Imam Khamenei, meanwhile went on to praise the Iranian nation for withstanding the blow of US sanctions, describing them as a “crime,” as the restrictions prevented the import of medicines, supplies and food during a pandemic.
“Although the US economic sanctions were a crime against the Iranian nation, they caused Iran to reduce dependence on other countries…Sanctions turned into a lesson for us as they prompted us to find a way to thwart the impact of economic bans,” he said, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.
The Leader also encouraged Iranian officials not to link efforts to deal with Iran’s economic problems to the lifting of restrictions, saying this would leave Iran dependent “awaiting decisions to be made by others.”
Instead, his eminence said, Tehran should “suppose that sanctions will remain in place, and plan the country’s economy on the basis that sanctions will remain.”
Source: Agencies
