Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic will never yield to US pressure and demands following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
“We will not give in [to pressure] and will maintain our national and historical dignity in the face of the US,” Rouhani said in a meeting with senior managers of his administration on Wednesday.
“We will bring the US to its knees in this battle of wills,” he added.
He said that the Iranian nation would continue to emerge victorious, stressing that bullying powers will come to the conclusion that they had taken the wrong path in dealing with the Islamic Republic.
“Today is the day of hoisting the flag of the dignity and glory of the Iranian nation, and we must show the world that we will endure difficulties and problems, but will not compromise our independence, freedom and democracy,” he said.
Rouhani said that his administration was standing in the front line of an economic war being waged by the US.
He ruled out the possibility of his administration’s resignation, and said it would fulfill its duties until the very end.
Elaborating on the economic plans of the government at the current juncture, Rouhani said that job creation, anti-poverty fight, production and regulation of market structure were the four key factors that could ameliorate the economic condition of the country.
Iran's president also called on all political factions as well as businessmen, entrepreneurs and the private sector to cooperate with each other.
Earlier on Wednesday, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, called on all Iranians to help the government overcome economic problems in the country.
“It is our duty to work in coordination and synergy to help the government and other branches overcome economic woes and foil enemy plots for an economic war and psychological warfare,” he said.
The remarks come following protests earlier this week over the rial’s collapse, the economic performance of Rouhani’s administration and foreign exchange problems.
US President Donald Trump’s decision last month to pull his country out of the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions against Tehran caused the rial to plunge, threatening business by driving up the cost of imports.
The agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had ended nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in exchange for certain changes to the country’s nuclear program.