Iran slams US for its latest sanctions, says it won't inflict even 'slightest damage'

The Islamic Republic of Iran, on Friday, denounced the latest US sanctions against its entities as a “completely contradictory behaviour”. As the 2015 JCPOA deal continues to be on a hiatus, the White House, on Friday, imposed new economic embargos against several Iranian companies and individuals related to the Islamic Republic’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) industry. It is imperative to note that the White House has already imposed numerous economic sanctions on Iranian manufacturers pertaining to its nuclear programme and support to regional “terror groups”.

Defending the move, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said, “Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability. Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack the US forces, our partners, and international shipping.” 

While Biden Administration lifted certain sanctions earlier this year to demonstrate its support to the 2015 Nuclear Deal, Iran said that the recent embargo indicates otherwise. In a press statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh accused incumbent US President Joe Biden of following the stance of his predecessor Donald Trump, that is of sanctioning Tehran. Asserting that the economic restrictions would not cause even the “slightest damage” to Iran, he said that America has shown its “incapacity” to fathom the reality of Iran. 

“A government that talks about an intention of returning to the nuclear deal but continues (former U.S. President Donald) Trump's policy of sanctions is sending the message that it really is not reliable," he said. 

'Rotten deal' 

The deal, signed in 2015 between Iran and other major world powers, including the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany (P5+1), saw Washington lifting economic sanctions against Tehran and in return, the Islamic Republic agreed to bring down its uranium enrichment programme. However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the pact in 2018, calling the structure of the deal "rotten". The Islamic Republic then retaliated by ending its compliance with the deal. As of now, six talks have been held in an attempt to revive the controversial nuclear pact, but despite US President Joe Biden vowing to resume the pact at the earliest, negotiations continue to be in limbo.  

Image: AP