Medicalian's Admission: Our Ships Faced Problems at Sea Due to Trump's Sanctions

Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran's government, acknowledged the problems caused by the Trump administration's sanctions during a session to impeach the Minister of Economy and Finance. He stated, "With Trump's sanctions, many of our ships faced problems at sea; it is unclear how they should deliver our oil." Pezeshkian also referred to financial issues arising from the failure of certain countries to repay funds, saying, "Qatar is not returning 6 billion dollars; Iraq and Turkey are also not repaying." These remarks come as Doug Burgum, the U.S. Secretary of State, previously stated at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the reinstatement of Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign would bring the ruling clerics of Iran to their knees. Additionally, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council had previously told Voice of America that Trump, by reinstating the maximum pressure policy, warned the Islamic Republic and is committed to ensuring that this government never obtains nuclear weapons. U.S. State Department spokesperson, Tami Bruce, also stated earlier that the maximum pressure campaign the United States has applied against the Islamic Republic is a way for countries around the world and the Iranian government to "learn" that the U.S. has the necessary "resources" to protect its interests and acts to safeguard them. Tami Bruce had mentioned in an interview with Fox News that another goal of the maximum pressure campaign is for the U.S. to show that the malicious actions of these countries will not be ignored. The U.S. State Department spokesperson stated that countries engaging in malicious actions want their actions to be overlooked. He further emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran "must understand that a new era has begun." These developments reflect the extensive impacts of U.S. sanctions on the economy and domestic politics of the Iranian government. Donald Trump had stated at the beginning of his administration that he sought a comprehensive and new agreement with the Islamic Republic, but Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, declared any negotiations with the U.S. to be forbidden. Rising prices have put the pre-holiday market into a coma, intensifying inflation in Iran; fears of economic collapse and proposals for wartime measures are emerging. The U.S. has stated that if no agreement is reached, maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic will continue. Zarif stated that currently, there is no possibility for direct negotiations with the U.S.