"It doesn't matter to Iran who will win the upcoming presidential election in the U.S. Whoever comes to power in America has no choice other than surrender to the Iranian nation," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told onlookers at a weekly cabinet session on Wednesday.
Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, fully covered Rouhani's remarks at the meeting, mostly devoted to the Donald Trump administration's policies toward Iran.
Rouhani accused Washington of devising a four-year plot that has implemented for three years against Iran.
The plot will be foiled, Rouhani claimed.
In May 2018, the U.S. exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and subsequently re-imposed batches of devastating sanctions on Iran.
The ever-increasing sanctions hit hard the vital sectors of Iran’s economy, including oil and gas, banking, shipping, and metals.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly admitted that the sanctions have led to a sharp fall in Iran's national currency value, the rial, and left the country's economy struggling with turmoil and severe shortages.
Nevertheless, Rouhani insisted, "We did not and will not surrender. They are the ones who will undoubtedly give in eventually."
The U.S. has stated that it seeks to bring Iran to the negotiating table over its nuclear and missile program and regional policy by exerting maximum pressure on Tehran. However, Iranian officials, specifically Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have ruled out any talks with Washington.
Sanctions on Iran have caused a sharp decline in the country’s oil exports as the economy’s most important source of income, and the exchange rate of Iran's national currency against the U.S.dollar has reached 320,000 rials.
In another part of his remarks, Rouhani said, "Non-oil exports are crucial for the country. The enemies tried to stop the export of crude and oil condensates and petroleum products, which were among our important exports in the past. Still, the diversity of the country's exports prevented them from succeeding."
He also claimed that the country's non-oil exports during the eight years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency between 2005-2013 were $170 billion. Still, during his term over the past seven years), that number reached $301 billion so far and is expected to reach $340 billion by the end of next summer.
For the first time since the beginning of the new Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20, 2020, Iran has added gasoline exports to the list of its "non-oil exports."
