Biden administration no different from its predecessors: Raisi

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
18 Feb 2023 23:50

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran are another form of warfare against the country.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Astana, Kazakhstan, Oct. 13, 2022 (Reuters)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pointed out on Saturday that the United States and its Western allies aim to halt the Iranian nation's development by imposing sanctions but failed in their attempts.

In an interview for China's state-run television CGTN, Raisi described the unilateral sanctions as another form of warfare against Iran.

"In essence, this is also a form of war. The only difference is that the method has changed from the military force to sanctions regimes. Sanctions are incredibly cruel," the Iranian President indicated.

He continued, "essential medications needed by patients, including drugs for treating children with the butterfly skin disease, have been added to the list of sanctioned items against Iran. This has caused immense suffering for patients and their families. They also sanctioned COVID-19 vaccines."

"When I met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations [Antonio Guterres] in New York [on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly], I brought up this issue," Raisi mentioned.

According to the Iranian leader, Guterres "expressed his apologies, saying that despite his best efforts, he could not persuade the United States to lift the ban on vaccine exports to Iran."

"Everyone knows that sanctions hurt ordinary people. They say the sanctions only target the Iranian government, but it is the people who bear the brunt of their cruel impact," he made clear.

The Iranian President said that the US "wanted to hamper our development through sanctions," stressing that "our people, especially our youths, have neither become discouraged nor stopped moving forward."

West only claims to be looking for agreement

Touching on the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Raisi said that the Western parties "claim to be looking for an agreement, but what we see is that their actions do not correspond to their allegations."

He noted that "while Iran has declared its resolve to reach a good agreement, they do not follow suit. They have both gone back on their pledges and withdrawn from the JCPOA."

"They have also left the negotiating table and announced interest to pursue their goals on streets and instigate chaos than to engage in talks," the Iranian leader said, in reference to the recent Western-led riots that Iran has witnessed.

He continued, "what we see in the behavior of the current US administration led by President Joe Biden is no different from those of its predecessors," further saying that the US and Europe have made miscalculations in this regard.

"Their knowledge of Iran and the Iranian nation is off beam. They have compared the Iranian nation with others. They believe they can achieve their goals through actions that are very wrong," Raisi concluded.

It is noteworthy that the original JCPOA was signed in 2015 by China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the UK, and the US, as well as the European Union. However, the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under the Trump administration and imposed its maximum pressure campaign on Iran, causing Iran to suspend the deal.

On-off talks to revive the JCPOA started in April 2021, but the indirect talks between the US and Iran have stalled for several months with Iran facing Western-led riots.

Since the beginning of talks, Tehran has been calling for guarantees that the US will not withdraw from the deal, lifting unlawful sanctions on Iran, and closing the file of political allegations made by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).