President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday Iran is pursuing the path of diplomacy to liberate itself from the restrictions undermining various sectors of the economy due to the sanctions imposed by the world powers over its nuclear work.
"We are trying to use politics and diplomacy to free the occupation of our economy," he was quoted by IRNA as saying.
He made the remarks in a ceremony to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the liberation of the southwestern port city of Khorramshahr, which Iraqi forces had occupied early in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
Comparing the Iraqi occupation of Khorramshahr to the unfair economic sanctions, he noted, "Your economic landscape has now been occupied by the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany)."
Iran is negotiating with the P5+1 to reach a final nuclear deal to resolve a 12-year long standoff over its nuclear energy program.
Iran's oil sales have been affected by this "occupation", Rouhani complained, adding that the big powers have undermined the livelihood of Iranians by "preventing the export of oil which belongs to the Iranian people."
"Our oil industry is another Khorramshahr which must be liberated."
He referred to the harm sanctions have inflicted on the banking sector saying, "Our banks and international banking transactions are also under occupation."
The government is striving through the nuclear negotiations to help end the economic "occupation" like what the Iranian soldiers did to free Khorramshahr from the criminality of the former Ba'ath regime in Iraq.
"Just as our military fighters liberated the city of Khorramshahr, our fighters in the diplomatic battlefield will win the freedom of the new Khorramshahrs (sectors afflicted by economic sanctions)."
He pointed to the "resistance" mounted by the nation during the eight-year military conflict imposed by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, saying it was that strong and selfless resistance that ended the unprovoked Iraqi aggression.
