Spokesman:

Iran will respond to US pressure with resistance, not diplomacy

Iran has dismissed assertions by US officials that the country should choose the path of diplomacy to deal with Washington, saying the country will stick to its policy of resisting the American pressure.

News ID: 445754

Date: 01 July 2019 - 20:58

RNA - The spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the US definition of diplomacy with Iran under the current administration in Washington has been nothing but economic terrorism and sanctions.

“We have seen nothing to respond to other than illegal sanctions, economic war and terrorism from the US government,” said Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, adding, “Iran reciprocates diplomacy with diplomacy and pressure with resistance.”

The comments came in response to a recent interview by Garrett Marquis, who serves as the spokesman for the US National Security Council, in which he claimed that Iran was failing to give an appropriate response to what he described as US President Donald Trump’s pursuit of diplomacy on Tehran’s nuclear issue.

The claims come as Trump has imposed a series of tough economic sanctions on Iran since he pulled out of a landmark international agreement on the country’s nuclear program in May 2018.

Waiting for other parties to the 2015 deal to move to save it, Iran responded earlier this year by restricting some of its commitments under the agreement.

According to Press TV, Iran has indicated that it will resume nuclear enrichment if the deal is not protected from American sanctions.

Tensions between Iran and the United States escalated earlier this month after Iran shot down an intruding American drone above its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.

Facing growing criticism over his policy on Iran, Trump said hours after the drone incident that he had abruptly cancelled a counter attack merely out of concerns for civilian lives.

Iran has warned that it would restrict the oil traffic in the Persia Gulf if its own oil sales are cut to zero due to US sanctions.

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