Reactions of Friday Prayer Leaders to the Return of U.S. Sanctions Against Iran

Hours before the announcement of the return of sanctions against Iran, most Friday prayer leaders stated that the U.S. would not achieve its "goals" by reinstating these sanctions. Several Friday prayer leaders in Iran, including Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, also declared that the U.S. "will certainly not achieve its political objectives" by reinstating sanctions against Iran. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, in his sermon on November 2, referred to previous statements by Islamic Republic officials, saying: "The leadership, the president, and all the figures of the country say that if one day not a drop of Iranian oil is exported, not a drop of oil will be exported from the Strait of Hormuz; this is not a slogan or a threat, it is a statement of reality." However, Mr. Alamolhoda regarding the implementation of all U.S. sanctions said: "The people will come to the scene and respond to everything with courage and resistance, but at the same time, gentlemen should inform the people about what defenses and arrangements they have; the people should be informed." 300 new individuals and entities will be added to the list of U.S. sanctions against Iran. The U.S. government announced on Friday, November 2, the return of all suspended sanctions against Iran under the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA. These sanctions, which will take effect on Tuesday, November 6, target Iran's transportation, financial, and energy sectors. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in May of this year, announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, and ordered the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran. The U.S. financial and oil sanctions against Iran are set to be reinstated on November 6, and U.S. officials say the goal of this round of sanctions is to "reduce Iran's oil exports to zero." Some Islamic Republic officials have previously stated that the U.S. aims to increase dissatisfaction with the government among the people through sanctions. Meanwhile, Youssef Tabatabai Nejad, the Friday prayer leader of Isfahan, said that "in times of inflation and sanctions, we should not lose our faith and turn to slandering the clergy, religion, and the revolution." International media have reported on the results of negotiations between several countries and Washington officials for obtaining exemptions. In this context, Ali Kardan, Iran's Deputy Minister of Oil, in response to these reports said that "the U.S. understands the market situation" and "it is clear that Iranian oil cannot be removed from the market." In response to whether these exemptions will be permanent or temporary, he said: "It is still unclear. We need to negotiate to determine the results."