Hassan Rouhani slams ‘unprecedented’ US pressure on Iran

TIL Desk/World/Tehran/ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has slammed the “unprecedented” US pressure on Tehran and urged unity among the country’s political factions to overcome conditions which he said may be harder than those during the 1980s.

Rouhani’s comments on Saturday came amid rising tensions with Washington which last week deployed warships and warplanes to the Gulf. He said the renewed US sanctions had led to worse economic conditions than during the country’s 1980-88 war with neighbouring Iraq.

“Today, it cannot be said whether conditions are better or worse than the (1980-88) war period, but during the war we did not have a problem with our banks, oil sales or imports and exports and there were only sanctions on arms purchases,” Rouhani said.

The President called for political unity to face down sanctions.  “The pressures by enemies is a war unprecedented in the history of our revolution… but I do not despair and have great hope for the future and believe that we can move past these difficult conditions provided that we are united.”