Iran's Reaction to the Return of US Sanctions: 'It's Psychological Warfare'

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry reacted early Saturday, November 3, to the return of US sanctions against the country, stating that Washington 'no longer has the capacity to exert pressure on countries and global economic entities' and that this action is a 'psychological war' aimed at instilling 'fear and anxiety' in the people. The second round of sanctions against Iran came into effect on Friday, November 2, reinstating all sanctions that had been suspended due to the nuclear agreement. On the same day, the US Treasury Secretary announced the addition of 300 new individuals and entities to the list of US sanctions against Iran. However, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, emphasized that the government of Hassan Rouhani has taken necessary measures to counter these sanctions. He stated, 'The goal of the US is to cover up the failures it has faced in the economic and sanctions domains.' This Iranian official then asserted that the Islamic Republic 'has the ability and knowledge to manage the country's economy and the livelihood of the people' and has learned from past sanctions what predictions to make. Previously, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, had said that the US has already imposed all sanctions and that there is nothing new for the next round of sanctions. He also referred to the new round of US sanctions against Iran as 'a propaganda and psychological discussion.' Meanwhile, Bahram Qasemi stated that the US sanctions 'have not achieved their goals, and a large part of their actions, despite the exorbitant costs to pressure banks, companies, economic entities, and institutions to dissuade them from working with Iran, have faced failure.' The European Union, which seeks to maintain the nuclear agreement with Iran, expressed regret over the return of the sanctions. This union has devised a special mechanism to protect European companies that wish to continue trading with Iran. However, several major European companies, fearing US sanctions, have halted their activities in Iran, including the major oil company Total, Peugeot-Citroën, Daimler, and Airbus. Since the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, the Iranian economy has been experiencing turbulent days, with the dollar rate increasing several times and even reaching 19,000 tomans.