According to AFP and Al Jazeera reports on the 29th, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi admitted that US sanctions against Iran are harming the country's economy. Just a few days ago (on the 26th), he stated that a new round of US sanctions would 'not have any effect'.
In an interview with national television on Friday night, Peseshizian said, "Some people say that sanctions have no effect at all. I really don’t know what to say to these people." He stated that Iran is in a "state of war" and must accept the reality of " wartime conditions".
During the interview, he revealed that due to the US maritime blockade of Iranian ports, Iran's import and export volumes have decreased by 25% to 35% in recent months. To cope with the financial pressure caused by the shrinking trade, he proposed raising gasoline prices domestically and warned, "If sanctions continue, prices will rise, as importers will face higher transportation costs."
According to reports from the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency and other Iranian media, Pesezhiyan also emphasized: "We will resolutely resist economic pressures, just as we have done so far, and will continue to do so in the future."
He called Iran “the real winner of the MOU on sanctions relief” and stated that negotiations had made progress on canceling sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian funds. According to him, since June when they signed the MOU with the US, Iran has sold approximately 90 million barrels of oil.
But he also warned that Iran will continue its diplomatic efforts. However, if the other party fails to fulfill its obligations, Iran will not be bound by any promises.
According to CBS, the Iranian government vowed on Saturday to resist "unfair sanctions" and "conspiracies," and said it would continue to seek diplomatic solutions with the United States.
The Iranian Cabinet stated in its statement: "The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be based on three principles: dignity, wisdom, and pragmatism. The focus will be on firmly countering the schemes and unjust sanctions imposed by the United States-Judaism hegemonic forces." The statement also added that defense and foreign affairs are "indispensable" for maintaining national interests.
Due to stalled negotiations with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on August 19 local time the implementation of "devastating economic measures" against Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a press conference on August 24, announcing that the U.S. had initiated a new round of sanctions to economically isolate Iran.
After that, Zeshizian said at a meeting in Tehran that the new round of economic sanctions imposed by the United States would have no effect. He stated that given the measures taken by the Iranian government, economic pressure imposed by the United States at this stage would not lead to any results, just as it failed to achieve anything during the war.
