IRAN remains defiant after Washington imposes sanctions against its banking sector
AFTER the United States imposed fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, President of the West Asian nation Hassan Rouhani said these will not be able to break his country’s “resistance”. The US claims that transactions involving humanitarian goods such as food and medicines are exempt and that sanctions are ‘directed at the regime’. US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s banking sector on Thursday by designating 18 major Iranian banks to “stop illicit access to US dollars”. The sanctions have been imposed by Washington to put the “maximum pressure” against Tehran to rein in the Islamic republic, the enemy of US allies Saudi Arabia and Israel, opine diplomatic sources. Reacting to the sanctions, Rouhani said “The Americans have so far done all they could against the great nation of Iran.” The sanctions are “attempts to create serious obstacles in fund transfers for medicine and food” and called them “cruel, terrorist and inhumane”. Calling on the world’s “human rights advocates” to condemn the move, he said “All countries witness that America’s attempts are completely against international laws and regulations, and in the time of the coronavirus are against human rights.” Iran with Shiite Muslims comprising a majority of over 81 million population is engaged in containing the Covid-19 pandemic which has killed more than 28,000 persons and infecting over 492,000 in the country as of now. Picture courtesy to Informed Comment.