“The Iranian nation has a global reputation for patience and persistence and is more experienced than before to weather the sanctions, therefore the United States’ efforts will be futile,” Hosseini said in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan on Tuesday night.
“Imposing sanctions on Iran will harm the strategic interests of the US in the long run,” he added.
On Thursday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven Iranian companies and five nuclear experts for contributing to the country’s nuclear energy program.
At the beginning of 2012, the US and the European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors with the goal of preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.
The illegal US-engineered sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 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 to nuclear weapons production.
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Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini says the illegal US-engineered sanctions imposed on Iran have proven ineffective.
News ID 183695
