US maximum pressure campaign against Iran totally failed: Russian diplomat

A senior Russian diplomat says the so-called ‘maximum pressure’ policy pursued by the United States against Iran has failed to fulfill Washington’s demand to target the country’s economy and has only led to humanitarian sufferings. 

“US proudly (and justifiably) states that maximum pressure campaign had a devastating effect on Iranian economy. But this is one side of the coin,” Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said in a post on his Twitter account on Saturday.

He added that the US policy has only resulted in “humanitarian sufferings, weakened non-proliferation regime” and brought about a “total failure of the declared goals (Pompeo’s 12 demands).”

US proudly (and justifiably) states that maximum pressure campaign had a devastating effect on Iranian economy. But this is one side of the coin. The other side- humanitarian sufferings, weakened non-proliferation regime and total failure of the declared goals(Pompeo’s 12 demands)— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) November 20, 2020

US President Donald Trump, a hawkish critic of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.

The US unleashed the so-called maximum pressure campaign and targeted the Iranian nation with draconian restrictive measures in order to bring it to its knees, but Iran’s economy keeps humming and is getting back on its feet.

Following its much-criticized exit, Washington has been attempting to prevent the remaining signatories — the UK, France China and Russia plus Germany — from abiding by their commitments and thus kill the historic agreement, which is widely viewed as a fruit of international diplomacy.

Trump, with two months left in office, is moving quickly to impose more sanctions against Iran. He even asked his advisers last week for options to launch a military strike against Iran but his aides dissuaded him.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said earlier this month that the time for the United States’ policy of exerting ‘maximum pressure’ on other countries, including the Islamic Republic, is over and this policy has failed to produce any results.