TEHRAN – Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has underliend the Islamic Republic’s success in countering Washington’s anti Iran sanctions, saying prosperity of no nation is dependent on outsiders.

“At this juncture, we are in a full-blown global battlefield,” Major General Hossein Salami warned during a speech in the western province of Hamedan on Thursday.

“The enemy thought severe global sanctions would bring this nation to its knees but the nation is aware and knows that the prosperity of no nation is dependent on outsiders and that there is no recourse to save nations except independence,” Salami asserted, according to Tasnim.

He said the ambassador of a European country recently gathered other envoys and called on them to tell their respective governments that the Iranians’ dependence on oil is ending so let them sell their oil.

“Therefore, we are getting through these sanctions and soon we will destroy the magic of our enemies,” he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted a maximum pressure policy against Iran since he walked away from the nuclear agreement, also called the JCPOA. 

The policy includes sanctions on Iran’s economy, especially its oil exports, and bans on top Iranian figures and organizations. At the same time, the U.S. president has pushed for talks with Tehran.

Iranian leaders have openly rejected the notion of talks with the U.S. as long as its illegal sanctions against Tehran are in place.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran remained fully committed to the JCPOA for a year, but announced on the anniversary of Washington’s bellicose move that its “strategic patience” is over and would gradually reduce its commitments to the deal at 60-day intervals, which were designed as deadlines for Europe to protect Tehran’s interests under the deal.

So far, Iran has taken four steps in that regard.

In the first step, Iran removed cap on its nuclear deal stockpile which was limited to 300 kilograms enriched to purity of 3.67 percent. In the second step, which started in July 7, Iran started enriching nuclear fuel to more than 3.67 percent. In the third step, which fell on September 6, Iran removed ban on nuclear research and development (R&D). And in the fourth step on November 6, Iran started to inject uranium gas into centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear facility.

Tehran has repeatedly said its measures will be revered as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral U.S. sanctions.

MH/