(MENAFN- Arab Times) Tehran seeks to mitigate damage to people's lives
TEHRAN, Aug 15, (Agencies): The United States is trying to make Iran surrender through the imposition of sanctions, Iranian Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said on Wednesday.
New US sanctions against Iran took effect last week, and President Donald Trump said companies doing business with the country will be barred from the United States. 'The first priority for all of us under a sanctions situation is to work toward managing the country in a way that brings the least amount of damage to people's lives,' Fars News quoted Jahangiri as saying. 'America is trying by applying various pressures on our society to force us to retreat and surrender.'
The new sanctions targeted Iranian purchases of US dollars, metals trading, coal industrial software and its auto sector, though the toughest measures targeting oil exports do not take effect for four more months.
Few US companies do much business in Iran so the impact of sanctions mainly stems from Washington's ability to block European and Asian firms from trading there. President Hassan Rouhani made similar comments to Jahangiri, although he did not specifically refer to the United States. 'We will not let the enemy bring us to our knees,' Rouhani said, according to state TV.
'If the enemy thinks they will defeat us they will take this hope to the grave with them.' Washington had said Iran's only chance of avoiding the sanctions would be to accept an offer by Trump to negotiate a tougher nuclear deal than the international accord struck in 2015. Trump pulled the United States out of this agreement with world powers in May.
'America itself took actions which destroyed the conditions for negotiation,' Rouhani said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). 'There were conditions for negotiation and we were negotiat ing. They destroyed the bridge themselves,' he said. 'If you're telling the truth then come now and build the bridge again.' Iranian officials have already rejected Trump's offer and on Monday Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the country, also ruled out the possibility of talks.
The Iranian economy is beset by high unemployment and a rial currency which has lost half its value since April. The reimposition of sanctions could also make the economic situation worse. Rouhani said the economy is the biggest problem facing the country. Thousands of Iranians have protested in recent weeks against sharp price rises of some food items, a lack of jobs and state corruption. The protests over the cost of living have often turned into anti-government rallies.
Meanwhile, Iraq is reducing visa charges for Iranian pilgrims who visit to mark a major religious occasion later this year. The reduction will only apply to pilgrims of the 'Arbaeen,' the anniversary of the passage of 40 days after the death of the deeply revered Shiite Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
News of the reduction of the visa charges, which are normally $40, was posted on the government's website Tuesday. It did not say how much the reduction will be. The move followed this week's cancellation by Iran of a visit by Iraq's prime minister, who apparently angered Tehran by saying Iraq will heed the latest US sanctions against Iran. Haider al-Abadi sought to soften his stance Monday, saying Baghdad will only observe the ban on transactions in dollars.
MENAFN1508201800960000ID1097300543
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.