Khamenei: We Will Use Sanctions to Truly Strengthen Iran’s Economy
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has strongly criticized U.S. government policies, stating that we will use sanctions for “truly strengthening Iran’s economy.”
Ali Khamenei, who spoke on Monday, October 12, via video conference to participants in a military ceremony, called members of the Trump administration “riffraff” and said: “We will transform America’s maximum pressure into Russia’s maximum regret and a source of their remorse.”
The Trump administration began the “maximum pressure” campaign in May 2018, following its withdrawal from the JCPOA, by imposing sanctions against Iran.
Trump administration officials announced in recent days, following the sanctioning of 18 Iranian banks, that the maximum pressure campaign will be expanded to force the Iranian government to negotiate.
The implementation of maximum pressure over the past two years has caused a widespread economic crisis, a sharp increase in the dollar exchange rate, and a severe decline in foreign investment in Iran.
The Supreme Leader called for attention to domestic issues in another part of his remarks and said: “We should not seek a cure from outside the country because we see no benefit or advantage for ourselves from abroad.”
Fundamentalist critics of the Rouhani government say that he has an “outward-looking” approach and is waiting for external events such as the results of the U.S. presidential election to solve economic problems.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s President, called this claim “wrong and distortive” on September 30 and asked his critics not to “repeat such talk” and not to say that “the government’s outlook is directed outward.”
Source: Radio Farda
