A senior Lebanese politician says the US-engineered economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program have proven to be "futile."

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language Al-Alam news network on Sunday, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun termed the imposition of sanctions against Iran as ineffective.

Aoun also described Iran’s military might and capabilities as tremendously high, stating that the Islamic Republic can stand against sanctions no matter how strict they may be.


“West and Israel are seeking to weaken Iran. Nevertheless, evidence on the ground shows that Iran has turned into a major country in the Middle East, and is the only dynamic state in the entire region,” he stated.

The top Lebanese lawmaker further noted that Western states do not favor a domestic balance of power in the Middle East as it challenges their interests.

At the beginning of 2012, the United States and the European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors alleging that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

On October 15, 2012, EU foreign ministers agreed on another round of sanctions against Iran.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted toward military objectives.
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