TEHRAN (Dispatches) – President Hassan Rouhani here on Tuesday decried U.S. sanctions on the Iranian people as a crime against humanity and an act of economic terrorism, saying the country is moving towards full self-sufficiency despite the pressures.
"There is no doubt that the U.S. administration has perpetrated a crime against humanity. The U.S. measure is an act of economic terrorism, but that does not mean the Iranian nation has been brought to its knees,” he said.
What is more shameful is that the U.S. has imposed sanctions on the supplies of food and medicine to the Iranian people, he told a session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The U.S. economic terrorism has failed to bring the Iranian nation to its knees, Rouhani said, adding Iranian scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs have doubled their efforts in spite of the unprecedented economic pressures and unfair sanctions from the U.S.
"Today, we are moving towards full self-sufficiency,” the president said.
Officially, the American sanctions exempt humanitarian goods, such as medicine and medicinal instruments. But in reality, the measures have restricted Iran’s access to medical and health services.
Rouhani explained that more than 95 percent of pharmaceutical products needed in Iran are being produced inside the country.
Health Minister Saeed Namaki said last week Iran is now exporting pharmaceuticals to countries in Europe, Africa and Central Asia.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Rouhani said it is a "shame” for the U.S to withdraw from the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran and reimpose tough economic sanctions on the country.
"This disgrace becomes more notable when the agreement has been endorsed by UN Security Council, and the U.S. has violated international regulations," he said.