Former Intelligence Minister: Sanctions Unable to Create Problems for Iran

Former Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi underlined that the western-led sanctions against Tehran should not be blamed for the current economic problems facing the country.
“Sanctions cannot create problems for Iran,” Moslehi said in Tehran on Saturday.

“We are not a country that can be troubled by sanctions, and if we have plans to confront sanctions, we will succeed,” he added, blaming mismanagement by certain Iranian officials for the current economic problems of the country.

Stressing that Iran is now at the heights of power, Moslehi said the young Iranian people enjoy astonishing capabilities, but “we cannot speak about their scientific progress and high capabilities due to certain considerations and under the current conditions”.

Western countries accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and the western embargos for turning down West’s calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

In their recent talks in Geneva, Iran and the world powers reached a final deal after days of hard work and intensive negotiations.

The deal includes removal of a part of the US-led West’s sanctions Iran’s crude supplies, petrochemical exports and part of the banking operations, including the pay-back of Iran’s crude export revenues.

According to the deal, no further sanctions will be imposed against Iran. Iran’s crude sales will be maintained at the current level and Iran’s oil revenues will also be released.

Sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical sector will be completely removed and the sanctions on the country’s auto industry will also be lifted.

Sanctions on imports and exports of gold and precious metals, as well as the ban on the insurance of transportation and shipping services will be fully lifted as well.