Zarif: US Sanctions Have Never Worked, Don’t Change Policy

Local Editor

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again reiterated the ineffectiveness of US sanctions with regard to causing any change in the Islamic Republic's policies, stressing that they only hurt "ordinary Iranians."

Commenting on his participation in the Doha Forum 2018 in Qatar Zarif tweeted that he had told the conference the US "sanctions have never worked."

"They [sanctions] hurt ordinary Iranians but don't change [the Islamic Republic's] policy," he said.

Referring to the policy adopted by the previous US administration to start talks with Iran over the country's nuclear program, Zarif said, "It was U-turn on part of US, which allowed #IranTalks to proceed. Same dynamic today," in a clear reference to the fact that instead of withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, the new American government had better settle its disputes with Iran at the negotiating table.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the multilateral Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

However, US President Donald Trump withdrew his country in May from the landmark agreement and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.

Zarif added in his Twitter post that Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA "are at table," emphasizing that "it is [the] US, which has decided to walk away and sow violence & chaos."

Zarif’s address to the Doha Forum 2018 in Qatar on Saturday economic sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran will fail to have any impact on the policies of the Islamic Republic at home or abroad.

"It's obviously the case that we are facing economic pressure because of the US sanctions. [The] US is a major global power and it can actually create painful conditions for other countries. But would that lead to a change of policy? I can assure you that it won't," Zarif added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team