Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony renewing allegiance to the ideals of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, held at his mausoleum on Sunday, Araqchi described US President Donald Trump’s latest economic campaign as a recycled scenario.
He said Washington has used different labels over the years, from the “crippling sanctions” imposed during the Obama administration to Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign during his first term and the current “crushing sanctions,” but that they all represented the same longstanding policy of bullying.
“It is a repetitive film that they are showing again, and we know it by heart and know how to confront and deal with it,” Araqchi said.
The foreign minister said the shift from threats of military action to the revival of old economic pressure plans demonstrates Washington’s frustration and inability to find an effective way to confront Iran.
“The fact that they have once again resorted to their old plans after military operations and threats to strike and do this and that shows that they are desperate,” he said, adding that the US is repeatedly bringing the same failed plans back into play.
Araqchi stressed that Washington should understand that there is no alternative to treating the Iranian people with respect and pursuing a solution based on justice and dignity.
“They must return to a path that has already been tried. The Iranian nation responds to the language of dignity with respect,” he said.
Asked whether Iran fears an economic blockade, Araqchi dismissed the prospect, saying Tehran has never been intimidated by such measures.
“We have never been afraid,” he said, adding that all previous US measures, including economic blockades and military actions, have failed and that the latest campaign would meet the same fate.