TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that Iran must turn sanctions threats into opportunity by relying on domestic capacities now that the United States has withdrawn from the international nuclear agreement and plans to reintroduce sanctions on Iran.

“We are proud of all our young people, engineers and workers… and we have to turn the enemies’ threat into opportunity,” Rouhani said as he inaugurated Phase 2 of Setareh Khalije Fars Refinery on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

The president predicted that through “resistance” and “patience” the ill-wishers will “surrender to the Iranian nation in a short time”.

Rouhani said, “A nation’s pride and prosperity will be proved to the world in hard times”. He added, “A country that gives in to foreigners and superpowers’ threats, humiliates its own people.” 

Unhappy with the nuclear deal that was struck by his predecessor Barack Obama in July 2015, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the international deal in May. His move has been strongly criticized by the world, especially the European Union and other signatories to the agreement.

Only Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE expressed pleasure with Trump’s exit from the agreement which was backed the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

The value of Iranian currency rial has plummeted against foreign currencies in the black market. The situation has been mostly driven by opportunists who have been using the U.S. pullout from the nuclear deal as a pretext to reap the greatest benefits. However, the Judiciary has promised harsh punishment for those who disrupt the economy. 
  
Rouhani said, “If we stand together, we will pass the new divine test.” He added, “In hard times, we must exhibit our unity and integrity to the enemies.” 

The president said the new leadership at the White House has adopted an antagonistic approach toward the world, citing its hostile approach to the nuclear agreement and its trade war against the European Union and China as examples.
 
“Today, we are dealing with a bunch of bullying people who have miscalculations towards the entire world, including Iran, while we may think that they are only opposed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but we can see that they treat this way in China, Europe and other parts of the world,” Rouhani said, according to the president.ir.

“In fact, persons have assumed office who don’t feel committed to anything and don’t care about any treaty.” 

Since coming to power in January 2107 Trump has pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, the Trans-Atlantic Trade Partnership, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem (al-Quds) in violation of international law, threatening to destroy NAFTA, breaching the rules of the World Trade Organization, and walking away from the nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 

‘Americans are ashamed of their government’

Rouhani added, “We are dealing with a person who separates children from their mothers and is anti-Islam and anti-Muslim and all he’s proud of is putting up a wall between countries and neighbors, and today, half of Americans are ashamed of their government and if we carry out a survey, we will see that they are dissatisfied with this government and the White House”.

The Trump administration in involved in a political and economic wrangling with countries such a Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and other European states which once were considered its close allies. The example of this divergence was shown clearly in the G7 meeting in Canada on June 8-9.