Iran Sanctions

A senior conservative journalist says Tehran has not gained much from the US in return for the many concessions it has given Washington.

The Iranian president has pledged that his government will invest greater efforts in supporting the growth of Iranian knowledge-based companies, saying the government will form stronger bonds with the firms and help them export their products.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal if the majority of the public calls for that.

Iran’s nuclear chief says the Financial Action Task Force’s extension of its anti-Iran measures shows the global anti-money laundering body doesn’t want to create a “deadlock” in its relations with Iran.

The global anti-money laundering body, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), on Friday gave Iran until June to come into compliance with anti-terror financial measures or said it will face tougher financial oversight.

An Iranian political analyst says Washington is likely to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal following the 2020 presidential elections, as Democrats seem inclined to do so and hold a big chance of winning the next contest.

Despite sanctions imposed on and restrictions created for Iran's economy, arrangements for membership of the Islamic Republic in the Eurasian Economic Union have been made, said Iran's Energy Minister.

President Hassan Rouhani says the tug of war that is currently underway between Iran and the United States is at its “maximum level,” but that the Islamic Republic will undoubtedly emerge victorious in “this battle of wills.”

The German ambassador to Tehran has denied the allegation that the European Union has set conditions for implementing its special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran, but at the same time noted that European banks would not work with Tehran if the country fails to adopt the FATF standards.

Some foreign diplomats in Iran have revealed that the US sanctions on Iran cover the country’s tourism industry as well, saying Washington has warned a number of foreign travel agencies and diplomatic missions against cooperating with the Islamic Republic in the tourism area.

Iran’s Expediency Council was once failed to reach a consensus over a parliamentary bill on Iran’s accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as members have postponed voting on the FATF-related bill.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has expressed her country’s willingness to maintain its friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran despite the anti-Iran pressures.

A senior government official has argued for quick approval of two parliamentary bills required for Iran to get out of the blacklist of the global anti-money laundering body (FATF), saying Iran should not put its foreign relations at risk at a time when the US is bent on hurting the country’s foreign relations.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Iranian people and political factions should feel they are in a war situation so that the country could foil the economic and psychological invasion waged by adversaries.

In spite of US sanctions to bring Iranian oil exports to zero, statistics show that in the first nine months of the current Iranian year, the Islamic Republic has managed to yield $6.5 billion from crude oil sales, up 48.9% year-on-year.

They say every dream begins with a dreamer. But dreams cannot be realized through miracles and magic. They take hard work, determination, and lots of sweat. This is the current state of Iran. What started as a dream in the summer of 2018 seems to have become a reality as the country just unveiled a state-backed cryptocurrency.

Last week’s announcement by European powers that they are to launch a financial mechanism for Iran-EU trade would not affect Iran’s approach on joining the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), two Iranian officials said.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says the US move to organize an anti-Iran conference in the Polish capital Warsaw testifies to Washington’s failure in the region, as the country wouldn’t need to hype up such a conference if it had achieved its goals in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi says Tehran welcomes the EU’s announcement of its special financial mechanism for trade with Iran, but considers it as a first step that should be followed by quicker implementation of other commitments.

The European Union has announced a long overdue special mechanism, called INSTEX (Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges), aimed at facilitating trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the US sanctions.

A senior Iranian official says if Iran does not join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that would mean the country will be deprived of selling oil, even to China.

An Iranian lawmaker says the EU decision to launch a special financial mechanism to keep trade ties with Iran despite US sanctions was not made in a good-faith gesture.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has dismissed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s threat to impose sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles, saying the Islamic Republic’s missile power is non-negotiable.

The Swiss government has finalised an independent payment mechanism for trade with Iran, which could be used to import drug and grain to the country.

A senior Iranian official says the US has failed in the Iran nuclear deal test and it cannot be trusted anymore in any field.