Iran: We are in economic and propaganda war with the US – President says

The Iranian president has today sketched a bleak picture of his country’s relationship with the US. In a speech in Tehran, Hassan Rohani said that Iran “is in an outright war with the United States”.

The president said that the war is not being fought with bombs and armoured vehicles, but as a psychological and economic war. “The war we are in is an economic and propaganda war, and the government is at the forefront of this war.”

Rohani called on all political groups in his country to be united on this “battlefield” and to show the Americans that the Iranians are willing to pay a price for their independence.

The relationship between the US and Iran has further deteriorated since President Donald Trump earlier this year decided to tear up the nuclear deal that was signed with Tehran under his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump wants a better deal with Iran and tries to put the government under pressure by instituting sanctions. The sanctions have largely blocked international transactions in Iran and put the Iranian currency under pressure.

“The leaders of the White House are plotting plots against the Iranian nation, but on the other hand, they are constantly sending mediators to negotiate,” Rohani said. As long as the US continues to exert economic pressure on Iran, according to the Iranian President, the problems will not be resolved.

Source: ANP