Rouhani: We Will Certainly Respond to New Sanctions

On Wednesday, August 4, Hassan Rouhani reacted to new U.S. sanctions against Iran during a cabinet meeting, stating, "If the enemy violates part of the agreement, we will also violate part of it," and threatened that the Islamic Republic would "certainly" take "reciprocal action" against the sanctions. The Iranian president, who recently had a verbal conflict with the Revolutionary Guards and met with senior officials of this military force on Tuesday, praised the Guards and other military and security forces of the Islamic Republic as "deterrent forces" and committed to strengthening "all defensive weapons" of the Islamic Republic "regardless of others' opinions." The U.S. House of Representatives imposed additional sanctions on Iran on Tuesday, August 3, due to "the development of ballistic missiles, support for terrorism and militia groups, and human rights violations in the country." This bill has now been sent to the U.S. Senate for full approval. According to the Iranian presidential website, Rouhani did not provide further details on how Iran would respond but said, "If the Americans want this sensitive region to be more stable and secure, and the sensitive waterways of this region to be safe for the world, they must abandon these policies." These remarks come as Iranian military officials have repeatedly mentioned the option of closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas transportation as a countermeasure against Western pressures, and Revolutionary Guards officials have recently made threatening statements against U.S. bases around Iran. Rouhani continued by emphasizing that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly respond to the new move of the U.S. Congress" and stated, "In the first step, the Islamic Consultative Assembly will take its own steps in this regard, and any other steps we deem necessary for the strengthening and interests of our country will be taken, and we will continue on our path regardless of their sanctions and policies." He added, "If the enemy violates part of the agreement, we will also violate part of it, and if they violate the entire agreement, we will also violate the agreement." Rouhani stressed that "such sanctions do not affect the Iranian nation and do not reduce the resistance of the people or the steadfastness of the Islamic Republic, nor will they change our methods and policies." In this speech, Rouhani also noted that "in the same bill that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved and will presumably go to the Senate, you see that the sanctions against Iran are very different from those against North Korea or Russia. The sanctions against Iran are essentially a repetition of past sanctions, which indicates that the U.S. sanction tool has become much slower compared to the past." A day before Rouhani's remarks, the U.S. President warned Iran to adhere to the nuclear agreement; otherwise, it would face "big problems." Donald Trump, on August 3, during a public speech in Youngstown, Ohio, said that if it is confirmed that Iran has not adhered to the agreement, it would face "very big problems." This is what I can tell you. According to Foreign Policy, Trump has asked "a group of trusted White House staff" to prepare a "potential case" to prove Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA within the next 90 days. Mike Pompeo, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has also described Iran as a very serious threat to U.S. interests and stated that the Trump administration is making "fundamental changes" in Washington's policies toward Tehran and countering what it calls Iran's "expansionism." Despite the fact that the continued development of the Revolutionary Guards' missile capabilities has created obstacles for Rouhani's government in benefiting from the JCPOA results, Rouhani stated on Wednesday that "we must always strengthen our defensive capabilities, and in this regard, we will strengthen all our defensive weapons, regardless of others' opinions, and we will continue on our path toward the power of our country's defense capabilities." The Iranian president stated that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the army, the Guards, the Basij, the police, and security forces, are supported by the great nation of Iran," and said, "These are the powers that the Quran refers to when it says, 'You frighten the enemy of God and your enemy' and are deterrent forces against the enemies of this nation." These emphases by Rouhani come as he had previously criticized the presence of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran's economic sectors and had a verbal conflict with this military force. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, called Rouhani's critical remarks "unfair" and stated that if the government is "without guns," it would be "humiliated and subdued by enemies." On Friday, July 9, Ali Saidi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards, also referred to Rouhani's remarks, emphasizing that "both the U.S. attacks the Guards, and some insiders attack the Guards." Following these tensions, Rouhani met with five senior commanders of the Guards on Tuesday, but no details about this meeting were published in the media.