Rouhani Warns 'Sanction Brokers' in Iran: Think About Another Job

The President of Iran emphasized that if a final agreement is reached with the P5+1 group regarding Iran's nuclear program, the 'conditions of production' in the country will 'improve.' He warned the 'sanction brokers' in Iran to 'start thinking about another job.' Meanwhile, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated that the lifting of 'secondary sanctions' from the U.S. and Europe will take 'one or two months' after the signing of the agreement between Iran and the P5+1. According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday, April 27, addressed a group of workers, emphasizing that 'the sanction organization is collapsing completely, and no one... can continue pressure and sanctions on Iran in the coming months and years.' Rouhani clarified that 'some believe that in the nuclear negotiations, the government is only trying to solve one problem, namely the nuclear file. While this is the first step to solve fundamental issues.' He stressed, 'We are pursuing two issues; first, to lift the accusations, meaning we want to prove that our adversaries have lied to the world, and second, to eliminate the sanctions and the problems arising from them.' According to Tasnim News Agency, before Rouhani's remarks, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of Iran, stated that workers know that sanctions are 'pieces of paper' and added, 'Workers want the factories and centrifuges to operate simultaneously.' The immediate lifting of sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program after a potential final agreement with global powers is one of the main emphases of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and the President of Iran. However, the U.S. has announced that if a nuclear agreement is reached with Iran, the lifting of Tehran's sanctions will be done in stages. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, pointed out that there are 24 U.S. sanctions against Iran and added that 'secondary sanctions that cross U.S. borders will be temporarily halted.' According to IRIB News Agency, Salehi also mentioned that regarding the European Union sanctions, 'the EU is supposed to lift these sanctions, but we are negotiating on when.' According to Salehi, after reaching an agreement with the P5+1, Iran must take actions 'on the ground,' and the other side must take 'a series of legal actions on paper.' The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization emphasized, 'The day we carry out our actions on the ground and the other side does so on paper, the secondary sanctions of the U.S. and Europe will be lifted, and this will take one or two months after the signing of the agreement.' Salehi's new statements come as he had previously stated on Saturday, April 24, that the members of the P5+1 in the last round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna accepted that all sanctions would be lifted upon reaching a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Iran and global powers in the group known as the P5+1 are expected to reach a comprehensive and inclusive final agreement by the first week of July this year, following the Lausanne understanding.