Leader: Sanctions Against Iran Must Be Swiftly Removed

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Friday that sanctions against the Iranian nation must be immediately removed without any demands.
In a televised speech on the anniversary of a major uprising against the Pahlavi regime, the Leader said Western countries’ call on Iran to take or stop certain measures for the sake of sanctions lifting is “pointless”. 
“The Western front and the enemies are obliged to stop the malicious sanctions against the Iranian nation immediately and remove all the sanctions that are truly a treachery, a crime and an unreasonable hostility toward the people,” he was quoted as saying by Leader.ir. 
Ayatollah Khamenei again stressed that the country’s economy should be planned on the assumption that sanctions will not go away so as to make such threats ineffective.
“This is possible through reliance on domestic capacities,” he said.
Iran has been under a set of sweeping sanctions reimposed by the United States in 2018 after its unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
In response, Iran resorted to the provisions of the agreement in 2019 and scaled down its commitments in reversible steps to restore balance between its rights and obligations, as the European parties also failed to protect the country’s economy against the sanctions. 
With a new administration taking over the White House, Washington and its European allies are looking forward to the US return to the deal.
 

Possible Detriment 

US President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to rejoin the deal, but only after Iran resumes strict compliance.  
The Leader said Iran does not insist and is in no hurry for the US return to JCPOA, but has a logical demand for the removal of sanctions and the return of the nation’s abolished rights which is “the responsibility of the US and its European followers”. 
“If sanctions are removed, the US return to JCPOA would be meaningful … Without sanctions lifting, it could even be to the country’s detriment,” he said.
He said compensation for the economic damage of the restrictive measures is also among Iran’s demands, but will be put forward at a later stage.
Iran has started taking further steps away from its JPCOA commitments as per a recent law passed by the parliament, which aims to counter the sanctions and protect the nation’s rights. 
Western countries have warned Iran against the measures, saying it would hinder efforts to protect the accord. 
Ayatollah Khamenei described the legislation as a “completely correct and rational” decision, saying Iran’s fulfillment of all its commitments while the other participants are not meeting all of their own obligations is “meaningless”. 
“Of course, if they return to their commitments, we will too,” he said, stressing that Iran’s measures should be reciprocal.

Non-Negotiable Issues 

Western countries appear to be using the US sanctions as a leverage to draw more concessions out of Iran, with Biden signaling an intention to start follow-on negotiations to expand the deal and European participants calling for an agreement beyond JCPOA. 
They argue that Iran’s regional policies and missile program should also be included in JCPOA, while Iran has refused to enter talks on either of the topics, or issues already concluded under the deal.  
“In those days [during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war], Iran was unable and defenseless against the bombardment of Tehran and other cities, and the Islamic Republic had no right to keep the country in that condition,” the Leader said, highlighting the importance of Iran’s defensive capabilities, including its missile power, which Iran describes as its inalienable and non-negotiable right. 
Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed that Iran’s regional policies strengthen its friends and partners. 
“Iran’s presence in the region is stabilizing ... as everyone saw in Iraq and Syria, and this presence is definite and must and will continue,” he said.