Commander Plays Down Effectiveness of Western Sanctions against Iran

A senior Iranian commander underlined ineffectiveness of the US-led western sanctions against Iran, and said that Washington and its western allies have increased their pressures on the Islamic Republic to hinder Iran’s progress, but to no avail.
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Cultural Affairs and Defense Publicity Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said although the embargoes against Iran have brought about some problems for the people, the progress that resulted from the sanctions has been “unprecedented” for the country.

If the Islamic Republic conducts more comprehensive planning regarding the handling of the sanctions, the country will achieve remarkable breakthroughs in different spheres, Jazayeri added.

The US and its western allies allege that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program while they have never presented corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations against the Islamic Republic.

Iran says its nuclear program is a peaceful drive to produce electricity so that the world’s fourth-largest crude exporter can sell more of its oil and gas abroad. Tehran also stresses that the country is pursuing a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran is under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and the unilateral western embargos for turning down West’s calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment, saying the demand is politically tainted and illogical.

Iran has so far ruled out halting or limiting its nuclear work in exchange for trade and other incentives, saying that renouncing its rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would encourage the world powers to put further pressure on the country and would not lead to a change in the West’s hardline stance on Tehran.