Salehi: Iran Has the Capacity to Overcome Sanctions Due to Self-Sufficiency

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stated that the Islamic Republic has the capability to cope with the difficulties arising from sanctions and to pass through this phase. He also emphasized that the country will not negotiate over its missile program. In an interview broadcast by Al Jazeera on Friday morning, March 3, he discussed Iran's situation under U.S. sanctions and Western criticisms of Iran's missile program. According to him, although Iran is facing 'economic problems,' it can overcome this phase because it has achieved self-sufficiency in many areas. A report from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) did not provide further details from the interview except for Salehi's statement that 'sanctions are not a new issue' and that the Islamic Republic has 'gained a lot of experience' during its four decades of existence. A recent report from the Statistical Center of Iran announced the 12-month inflation rate ending in Bahman at 23.5 percent. This report states that the prices of various meats (sheep, cattle, chicken, and fish) increased by more than 92 percent in Bahman compared to the same month last year, leading to long queues of people seeking frozen meat at lower prices. Meanwhile, there is no positive outlook for the economy in the upcoming Persian year, as a report from the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament predicts that no money will be deposited into the National Development Fund in 1398. One of the main reasons for this is the sanctions on Iranian oil, with predictions that Iran's oil sales in 1398 will be about half of what they were in 1397. The U.S. has set twelve conditions for reaching another agreement with Iran, one of which is the cessation of the Islamic Republic's missile program. However, Salehi reiterated in the Al Jazeera interview the Iranian officials' position that the country's missile program is 'non-negotiable.' He also addressed the recent Warsaw Conference on peace and security in the Middle East, calling it 'insignificant' and 'fruitless.' The Warsaw Conference, organized by the United States, has recently become a point of contention between Iran and Poland. Tehran has labeled the conference as 'anti-Iranian' from the outset and deemed it 'doomed to failure.' However, U.S. officials insisted that the conference was neither anti-Iran nor an effort to form a coalition against Iran. Nevertheless, tensions between Tehran and Warsaw escalated to the point where the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Polish chargé d'affaires. Poland also did not invite Iran to this conference. Salehi stated, 'We attach no importance to the Warsaw Conference... They reached no decision regarding Iran, and this was a major embarrassment for them.' Previously, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized the Warsaw Conference, stating that the U.S. aimed to 'make decisions against Iran' by inviting 'weak and intimidated governments,' but 'this meeting did not reach any results, and all of this is a sign of weakness.' The final document of this conference, drafted by the U.S. and Poland, states that the seven working groups formed during the conference, including those on combating terrorism and its financing, preventing the proliferation of missile programs, Middle Eastern refugee issues, and air security, will continue their work in the coming weeks.