Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan has said that Iran is a strong country and can avoid destabilization despite return of the U.S. sanctions.

“Of course, the economic situation in Iran has worsened a bit after the introduction of U.S. sanctions. The Iranian media state it with anxiety and representatives of the country’s leadership generally admitted this fact. At the same time, Iran is a strong country with powerful economic potential. It is not the first time they are at gunpoint of American restrictions. I believe that the Iranian leadership and the nation have enough strength to prevent destabilization of the situation,” he told TASS in an interview published on Wednesday.

He said Russia condemns the U.S. policy of imposing “illegal sanctions” and urged the European countries not to give in to U.S. pressure on Iran.

Ambassador Dzhagaryan said that the Europeans must show the political will to keep the nuclear deal alive and ensure that Iran will enjoy benefits of the deal after the U.S. withdrawal.

At a meeting in Bucharest on January 31, France, Germany and Britain officially announced the creation of INSTEX, a special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate trade between European economic operators and Iran.

The European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt issued a statement saying the INSTEX will support legitimate European trade with Iran.

It added that INSTEX will function under the highest international standards with regards to anti-money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) and EU and UN sanctions compliance.

NA/PA