On the 20th, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the United States for imposing new economic and trade sanctions against Iran, stating that Iran will use “all tools and capabilities” to safeguard national interests and the legitimate rights of the Iranian people.
The statement said that the US announcement of large-scale economic and trade sanctions against Iran infringes upon the basic human rights of Iranian citizens and constitutes an act of “economic terrorism” and a “crime against humanity.” It violates the principle of respect for national sovereignty and tramples on the fundamental tenets of international law.
The statement pointed out that the sanctions were imposed after the US and Israel failed to achieve their goals through war against Iran, and are intended to force the Iranian people into submission. Such actions cannot shake the Iranian people's determination to uphold national independence, dignity, and sovereignty.
The statement believes that sanctions and economic pressure are “the other side of the coin of war and military aggression.”
The statement added that the US announcement of new sanctions is a continuation of a policy that has already been “tried and failed;” resorting to this policy again will only lead to repeated failure. Iran will rely on its own capabilities and decades of experience in dealing with US pressure policies, utilizing “all tools and capabilities” to safeguard national interests and the legitimate rights of the Iranian people.
Due to stalled negotiations with Iran, US President Trump announced on the 19th the implementation of “devastating economic actions” against Iran.
The US Calls the Next Failure an “Economic War”
Additionally, on the 20th, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi stated that, after failing to achieve its objectives by military means, the US is increasing pressure on Iran under the pretext of an “economic war,” trying to cover up its previous failures.
He wrote on social media that, on the one hand, the US claims that Iran is “on the verge of failure,” yet on the other hand continues to call upon its allies for assistance.
He said that, in order to cover up its failures, the US has had to manufacture “even greater failures.”
He said: “Military war did not work, so now they are calling their next failure an ‘economic war.’”