President Rouhani:
Iranians Should Direct Their Anger at U.S.
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Saturday condemned U.S. "barbarism” for inflicting damage on Iran due to sanctions, and said Iranians should direct their anger at the White House.
"With their illegal and inhuman sanctions, and terrorist actions, the Americans have inflicted 150 billion dollars of damage on the people of Iran,” Rouhani said in televised remarks, his voice shaking with anger.
"The address for Iranian people’s curses and hatred is the White House,” he said.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord.
Iran, in turn, has gradually let go of the central limits in that deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including on the size of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium as well as the level of purity to which it was allowed to enrich uranium.
Washington imposed new sanctions on Monday on Iran’s defense ministry and others involved in its nuclear and conventional weapons program.
On Thursday, Washington blacklisted several Iranian officials and entities over alleged human rights issues, including imposing sanctions on a judge it said was involved in the case of an Iranian murderer sentenced to death under the qisas principle of the Islamic Sharia law.
Rouhani said the White House is responsible for all the hostile measures and crimes against the Iranian nation.
"The Americans stopped the entry of medicine and food to our country through illegal and inhumane sanctions as well as terrorist operations. We have never seen people with such level of barbarism at the White House. They committed the worst atrocities,” he said.
The Iranian president hit out at the U.S. administration for blocking Tehran’s efforts to receive a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April to fight the new coronavirus outbreak.
Rouhani told the domestic opponents of his administration that they must not give a "wrong address” to Iranian people about the shortages of medicine and emergency supplies in the country.
"The correct address for all the crimes and pressure on the dear people of Iran is Washington, DC, the White House,” he noted. "And those who are inside that building have committed all these crimes against the Iranian people, and you can see that there is pressure and problems on a daily basis.”
Nevertheless, "our people stood firm and resisted, did not knit their brows and did not bow to these bullies,” Rouhani said.
"I have no doubt that the U.S. government will, one day, surrender and kneel before the Iranians and that the Iranian nation will be victorious.”
Rouhani also said Washington is angry with the Iranian government’s appropriate management of the coronavirus outbreak despite the draconian sanctions imposed on the country.
Iran, the hardest-hit country by the new coronavirus in the Middle East, has been on its own fighting the disease as sanctions have seriously hampered its access to drugs and vital medical equipment needed to contain the virus.
Tehran has repeatedly said it does not seek Washington’s help in the fight, but it wants the White House to lift the illegal economic sanctions so that Iran could mobilize its own resources to tackle the pandemic.
Rouhani on Saturday authorized the country’s provinces to impose lockdowns wherever necessary to stem any rise in coronavirus cases.
"We are forced to intensify regulations and supervisions, starting in the capital Tehran,” Rouhani said.
He said coronavirus task-force offices around the country would make recommendations on restrictions and whether to impose one-week lockdowns.
Measures could include "restrictions or shutdowns” of schools, universities, seminaries, mosques, cafeterias, sports and cultural venues, hair salons.
"If provincial governors deem it necessary, these centers will have to close for a week,” Rouhani said.
Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus rose by 172 on Saturday to 25,394, and identified cases by 3,204 to 443,086, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.
"With their illegal and inhuman sanctions, and terrorist actions, the Americans have inflicted 150 billion dollars of damage on the people of Iran,” Rouhani said in televised remarks, his voice shaking with anger.
"The address for Iranian people’s curses and hatred is the White House,” he said.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord.
Iran, in turn, has gradually let go of the central limits in that deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including on the size of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium as well as the level of purity to which it was allowed to enrich uranium.
Washington imposed new sanctions on Monday on Iran’s defense ministry and others involved in its nuclear and conventional weapons program.
On Thursday, Washington blacklisted several Iranian officials and entities over alleged human rights issues, including imposing sanctions on a judge it said was involved in the case of an Iranian murderer sentenced to death under the qisas principle of the Islamic Sharia law.
Rouhani said the White House is responsible for all the hostile measures and crimes against the Iranian nation.
"The Americans stopped the entry of medicine and food to our country through illegal and inhumane sanctions as well as terrorist operations. We have never seen people with such level of barbarism at the White House. They committed the worst atrocities,” he said.
The Iranian president hit out at the U.S. administration for blocking Tehran’s efforts to receive a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April to fight the new coronavirus outbreak.
Rouhani told the domestic opponents of his administration that they must not give a "wrong address” to Iranian people about the shortages of medicine and emergency supplies in the country.
"The correct address for all the crimes and pressure on the dear people of Iran is Washington, DC, the White House,” he noted. "And those who are inside that building have committed all these crimes against the Iranian people, and you can see that there is pressure and problems on a daily basis.”
Nevertheless, "our people stood firm and resisted, did not knit their brows and did not bow to these bullies,” Rouhani said.
"I have no doubt that the U.S. government will, one day, surrender and kneel before the Iranians and that the Iranian nation will be victorious.”
Rouhani also said Washington is angry with the Iranian government’s appropriate management of the coronavirus outbreak despite the draconian sanctions imposed on the country.
Iran, the hardest-hit country by the new coronavirus in the Middle East, has been on its own fighting the disease as sanctions have seriously hampered its access to drugs and vital medical equipment needed to contain the virus.
Tehran has repeatedly said it does not seek Washington’s help in the fight, but it wants the White House to lift the illegal economic sanctions so that Iran could mobilize its own resources to tackle the pandemic.
Rouhani on Saturday authorized the country’s provinces to impose lockdowns wherever necessary to stem any rise in coronavirus cases.
"We are forced to intensify regulations and supervisions, starting in the capital Tehran,” Rouhani said.
He said coronavirus task-force offices around the country would make recommendations on restrictions and whether to impose one-week lockdowns.
Measures could include "restrictions or shutdowns” of schools, universities, seminaries, mosques, cafeterias, sports and cultural venues, hair salons.
"If provincial governors deem it necessary, these centers will have to close for a week,” Rouhani said.
Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus rose by 172 on Saturday to 25,394, and identified cases by 3,204 to 443,086, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.