US unleashes ‘toughest ever’ sanctions on Iran
Iranian Prez Rouhani defiant, says will break curbs
The US unleashed its “toughest ever” sanctions against Tehran on Monday, while a defiant Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed to continue selling its crude oil in the international market despite the measures. “We should break the sanctions very well and we will do that,” Rouhani said shortly after the anti-Iran sanctions took effect.
US President Trump’s administration reinstated all sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, targeting both Iran and countries that trade with it, the BBC reported. Tehran had struck the nuclear deal with six world powers and the EU, agreeing to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of restrictions mainly on its oil sales.
Accusing Iran of stirring up regional instability and exporting violence, Washington terminated the nuclear accord on May 8 and said called it “one of the worst and most one-sided deals the US had ever entered into”.
Over 700 individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft were now on the sanctions list, including major banks, oil exporters and shipping firms. The measures will make it difficult to do business with the oil-rich nation.
Washington said it wanted to stop what it calls Tehran’s “malign” activities, including cyber attacks, ballistic missile tests and support for terror groups and militias in the Middle East.
The US, meanwhile, granted exemptions to eight countries to continue importing Iranian oil, without naming them. They reportedly include US allies India, Italy, Japan and South Korea.
“With the help of the people and the unity that exists in our society, we have to make the Americans understand that they must not use the language of force, pressure and threats to speak to the great Iranian nation. They must be punished once and for all,” Rouhani said at a meeting of economic officials. “The US officials have come to the understanding they could not replace the Iranian oil on the market,” he said, adding even if they did not grant waivers to some countries to keep trading oil with Iran, “we would still be able to sell our oil and we have adequate capabilities to do that”.