The United States is trying to push Iran into surrendering through the imposition of sanctions, First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said on Wednesday.
“The first priority for all of us under a sanctions regime is to work toward managing the country in a way that brings the minimum harm to the people’s lives,” Fars News Agency quoted Jahangiri as saying.
“America, by applying various pressure tactics, is trying to force us to retreat and surrender.”
New US sanctions against Iran took effect last week, and President Donald Trump said companies doing business with Iran will be barred from the US.
The new sanctions targeted Iranian purchases of US dollars, metals trading, coal, industrial software and its auto sector. Tougher penalties targeting key oil and gas exports come into effect in November.
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.
The rial has lost about half of its value since April in anticipation of the renewed US sanctions, driven mainly by heavy demand for dollars among ordinary Iranians trying to protect their savings.
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On Tuesday, Jahangiri rejected the possibility of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the US, saying that Washington is pursuing hostile policies against Tehran.
“The enemies [the US and its allies] are trying hard to wage psychological and media war in a bid to create anxiety, worry and disappointment about the future of the country among the people,” Jahangiri said.
The vice-president slammed the unending hostility of the US governments toward Iran and said the majority of the country’s elite agree that at the present juncture negotiations with Washington is irrelevant because of its hostile policies and disrespect toward Iran.
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