Sanctions on Iran illegal, inhumane: Rouhani

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says the US-engineered sanctions against the Islamic Republic are illegal and inhumane.

“In principle, we regard the sanctions as illegal and inhumane because the sanctions are exerting pressure on the [Iranian] people and the sick and have a negative impact on the lives of children,” Rouhani said in an interview with the American PBS channel on Wednesday.

“We believe that sanctions are not an appropriate solution [to the Western dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program] and cannot resolve any problems,” the Iranian president stated.

He added that Iran seeks a solution that would guarantee the nation’s legitimate rights and, at the same time, ally potential concerns.

The Iranian nation does not seek anything beyond its legal right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, he said.

President Rouhani emphasized that all of Iran’s nuclear activities are under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and noted the agency constantly inspects the country’s nuclear work.

“Iran is a signatory to the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and all of its nuclear activities are in accordance with the Agency (IAEA)’s Safeguards,” Rouhani said.

He further stated that nuclear energy has turned into the symbol of the Iranian nation’s advancement in making use of modern technologies.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran.

Tehran strongly rejects the claim against its nuclear energy program, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that the Iranian nuclear program has been diverted toward military objectives.