Parliament speaker: Iranian people only care about US’ practical measures, not propaganda

Iran’s parliament speaker says practical measures taken by the new US administration with regard to the Islamic Republic, including the removal of unilateral sanctions, are the only thing that matters to the Iranian people, not oral promises and propaganda.

“It is true that [the projected US president-elect Joe] Biden is different from [incumbent President Donald] Trump, but it’s important to know that Biden is no different from [former US president, Barack] Obama who designed the so-called crippling sanctions [against Iran].... Biden was the second-in-command under the Obama administration and the mastermind behind that administration’s foreign policy,” Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said while addressing an open session of the Iranian parliament on Sunday.

Iran’s parliament speaker added, “This negative record and clear stances taken by Biden and his advisors, have proven to us that his signature cannot guarantee anything. For us, only practical measures taken by the Biden administration matter. If we see Iran’s oil sales returning to normal as well as the country’s banking activities and the trade between Iranian companies and the rest of the world, then we would show optimism toward him, though we are not hopeful about this.”

The new US president must know that the Iranian people have found their way, Qalibaf said, adding, “They are determined to boost [the country’s] components of economic power, welfare and security ... and make any effective pressure against Iran impossible and costly.”

“The smart people of Iran only pay attention to [practical] decisions [of the new US administration], not propaganda, and only expect actions not words, according to which they will give answers on the basis of [the country’s] national interests.”

Trump, a hawkish critic of the 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.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday 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.

Iran's Rouhani: Time for US' ‘maximum pressure’ policy over

Iran’s President Rouhani says the time for the United States’ policy of exerting ‘maximum pressure’ on other countries is over.

Alluding to Trump’s policy of mounting maximum pressure on Iran to force the country to submit to Washington’s demands, Rouhani said, “All signs and indications in the current world, from America to Europe, show that the world has understood that the [policy of exerting] maximum pressure is not effective and its time is over.”

Rouhani's remarks came after Iran’s petroleum minister said that the latest wave of sanctions imposed by Trump's administration, which targets the Islamic Republic’s oil sector, has no practical effect and stems from Washington’s grudge toward Tehran.

US sanctions on Iran oil sector ineffective, out of pure grudge: Petroleum minister

Iran’s petroleum minister says the latest wave of US sanctions against the oil sector failed to have any practical effect.

"We are victims of terrorism but are not its supporter. We are an enemy of terrorism and this is the reason that we have been and still are opposed to Mr. Trump. He has been the ringleader of terrorist groups in recent years," the Iranian minister said.

Read more:

• Iran hopes Biden admin will respect other nations, abide by law
• US maximum pressure failed, proud Iranians stand tall: Foreign Ministry spokesman
• Biden's policies on Iran won't be much different than Trump's: Analyst

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