Raeisi: US sought to stop Iran's progress through sanctions, but failed

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says the United States and its Western allies sought to stop the Iranian nation's advancement by means of sanctions but failed in their attempts, describing the coercive measures as another form of warfare against the country.

Raeisi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China's state-run and English-language CGTN television news network broadcast on Saturday.

"In essence, this is also a form of war. The only difference is that the method has changed from the military force to sanctions regimes. Sanctions are incredibly cruel. Essential medications needed by patients, including drugs for treating children with the butterfly skin disease, have been added to the list of sanctioned items against Iran. This has caused immense sufferings for patients and their families. They also sanctioned COVID-19 vaccines," the Iranian president pointed out.

"When I met with the secretary-general of the United Nations [António Guterres] in New York [on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly], I brought up this issue. He expressed his apologies, saying that despite his best efforts, he could not persuade the United States to lift the ban on vaccine exports to Iran."

"Everyone knows that sanctions hurt ordinary people. They say the sanctions only target the Iranian government, but it is the people who bear the brunt of their cruel impact," Raeisi said.

Iran condemns use of unilateral sanctions as political leverage in relations between countries

Iran has once again condemned unilateral sanctions by some countries and their use as political leverage in their bilateral relations.

"They (American politicians) and their supporters often say that the Iranian government will be gone in six months, or in the year of such and such. But now more than 40 years have passed. It is those who made such claims that are gone. Some have passed away, while some have left office. But our Islamic establishment exists with great vitality. The US wanted to hamper our development through sanctions . But our people, especially our youths, have neither become discouraged nor stopped moving forward," the Iranian president said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi pointed to Vienna negotiations on the salvage of the 2015 nuclear deal -- officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- and removal of anti-Iran sanctions.

"They (Western parties to the accord) claim to be looking for an agreement, but what we see is that their actions do not correspond to their allegations. While Iran has declared its resolve to reach a good  agreement, they do not follow the suit. They have both gone back on their pledges and withdrawn from the JCPOA. They have  also left the negotiating table and announced interest to pursue their goals on streets and instigate chaos than to engage in talks," Raeisi said.

What we see in the behavior of the current US administration led by President Joe Biden is no different from those of its predecessors, the Iranian president said.

Raeisi: Iran has been ready for deal on JCPOA but US, E3 made miscalculation

Iran

Negotiations between the parties to the deal kicked off in Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of bringing the US back into the deal and putting an end to its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Tehran, whose strict adherence to the nuclear deal had been certified several times by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), maintains that it is necessary for the US to offer guarantees that it will not withdraw or violate the accord again.

The discussions, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington’s insistence on not lifting all of the sanctions slapped on Tehran by the previous US administration and offering the necessary guarantees.

"We believe that Americans are gravely mistaken. They have miscalculations. Some European countries have made miscalculations as well. Their knowledge of Iran and the Iranian nation is off beam. They have compared the Iranian nation with others. They believe they can achieve their goals through actions that are very wrong,"  Raeisi also said as he made a reference to the recent unrest across the country.

US, Israel slipped arms into Iran to wreak havoc during riots: FM

Iran says the US and the Israeli regime slipped arms past Iranian borders during recent riots to wreak havoc throughout the country.

Riots broke out in Iran in mid-September after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman in police custody. Mahsa Amini fainted at a police station in Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later in a hospital. An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

Iran’s intelligence community has said several countries, including the United States and the UK, have used their spy and propaganda apparatuses to provoke violent riots in the country.

Rioters went on a rampage, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed in the riots. 

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