Minister Blasts Enemies' Justification for Economic Sanctions on Iran

Speaking on Thursday, Qazanfari said Iran has been hit by sanctions under false pretexts.

He noted Iran has repeatedly presented documents rejecting the claims but the enemies maintain their policies because the Islamic Republic opposes their domination in the world.

The reason behind the imposition of sanctions on Iran is not the country's nuclear energy program or the human rights issue but Iran's refusal to obey orders of enemies, the minister stated.

He further noted that Sanctions against the Islamic Republic aim to paralyze the country's economy.

His remarks came a few days after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the arrogant powers grew united to exhaust the Iranian nation through sanctions, but to no avail.

"Despite the past, the arrogant powers now acknowledge very frankly that the goal of the sanctions is making the Iranian nation exhausted to provoke them against the Islamic Republic, increase pressures on Iranian officials and as a result make the (Iranian) officials change their calculations," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of people in Tehran on Tuesday.

He downplayed the effects of the enemies' pressures and sanctions, and said, "But the inclination of the people of this great land to the principles of Islam and the Revolution and the national honor of Iranians are on the increase every day and this is exactly the counterpoint of what the enemies want."

Ayatollah Khamenei called on the Iranian nation and officials to keep more vigilant against the arrogant governments' plots.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rules enshrined in the NPT entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.

Tehran has repeatedly said that it considers its nuclear case closed as it has come clean of IAEA's questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.
irna/281