The United States is isolated in the world and will regret imposing sanctions on Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday, hours before new sanctions were due to take effect.
“America will regret imposing sanctions on Iran. They are already isolated in the world. They are imposing sanctions on Iranian children, patients and the nation,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.
He dismissed a US call for talks.
“We are always in favour of diplomacy and talks. But talks needs honesty,” Rouhani said.
“The US reimposes sanctions on Iran and pulls out of the (2015) nuclear deal, and then wants to hold talks with us,” he said.
“Trump’s call for direct talks is only for domestic consumption in America ahead of elections and to create chaos in Iran.”
Under the 2015 agreement Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.
The Trump administration argues that the curbs did not go far enough and it wants to force Iran back to the negotiating table.
Iran says that by abandoning the agreement Washington has shown it cannot negotiate in good faith.
Last Month, US President Donald Trump said that he would be willing to meet Rouhani without preconditions to discuss how to improve relations.
Senior Iranian officials and military commanders have rejected Trump’s offer of talks as worthless and “a dream”, saying his words contradicted his action of reimposing sanctions.
“They want to launch psychological warfare against the Iranian nation,” Rouhani said.
“They are imposing sanctions on Iranian children, patients and the nation,” the president said.
Rouhani referred to fears that essential supplies such as medicines would be affected when sanctions return today.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif said “American bullying and political pressures may cause some disruption, but the fact is that in the current world, America is isolated.”
Zarif suggested it was hard to imagine negotiating with the man who tore up an agreement on which Iran and world powers had spent the “longest hours in negotiating history”.
“Do you think this person (Trump) is a good and suitable person to negotiate with? Or is he just showing off?” he said.
There have been ongoing rumours that Trump and Rouhani could meet in New York later this month, where they are both attending the UN General Assembly - though Rouhani reportedly rejected US overtures for a meeting at last year’s event.
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc, as well as Britain, France and Germany, deeply regretted Washington’s move.
President Hassan Rouhani giving an interview to the Iranian TV in Tehran yesterday.
