Jahangiri: I Cannot Lie, Sanctions Have an Impact

Es'hagh Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, said on Tuesday: "I cannot lie that sanctions have no effect; sanctions do have an effect, but we must minimize their impact." According to the First Vice President of Iran, actions must be taken so that "sanctions have the least impact on the Iranian economy." Jahangiri's remarks come as he stated on Saturday regarding the government's economic situation and the impact of political developments: "We are a government that currently has very little foreign debt, and our assets are quite substantial, so in a way, we are a wealthy government." On Tuesday, during the farewell and introduction ceremony of the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Jahangiri continued his remarks about the impact of sanctions on the country's economy, saying: "I believe that in this critical period, the government must speak honestly with the people." However, he also noted that the government should not disclose all concerning issues to the public but should keep some concerns within the system and implement appropriate measures for them. On Monday, November 14, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced the details of the return of U.S. sanctions against Iran in a press conference, which included a total of 700 individuals and entities subject to U.S. sanctions. In this round of U.S. sanctions against Iran, the sanctions include 50 Iranian banks and their subsidiaries, and in the shipping and energy sectors, over 200 individuals and vessels are included. Iran's national airline (Iran Air) and 67 of its aircraft are also targeted by the sanctions. U.S. officials have announced that the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency and 23 affiliated entities and individuals are on the new sanctions list. The scope of these sanctions is such that Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, a representative from Qom in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, tweeted that "almost all individuals and entities active in circumventing previous sanctions are included." Amirabadi then raised the question, "Where did the enemy obtain this information?" He called for the intelligence and security organizations of the Islamic Republic to "investigate this matter." Jahangiri also stated on Tuesday that "the U.S. has entered the field of sanctions against Iran with all its power and capacity." He commented that "the U.S. is isolated and alone," citing Israel and "one or two regional governments" as evidence of this. According to Jahangiri, the fact that "almost no government has officially supported the sanctions" is "the first political display of Iran's victory over the U.S." While Jahangiri spoke of "Iran's victory over the U.S.," Mike Pompeo emphasized the day before that Iran has lost $2.5 billion in oil revenue due to the new sanctions. The First Vice President of Iran continued his remarks by stating: "Iran has fulfilled all its commitments under the JCPOA, but the U.S. has imposed unjust and illegal sanctions against our country." Jahangiri added that these sanctions are a burden on the shoulders of the Iranian people. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also stated on Monday morning, just hours after the official announcement of the implementation of the second wave of U.S. sanctions against Iran, that: "What the Americans are doing today is merely pressure on the people; it is not pressure on anywhere else." It is predicted that with the implementation of U.S. sanctions against Iran, in both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, the economic growth rate by the end of this year will fluctuate between negative 0.5 percent and negative 2.8 percent. A decrease in Iran's oil production and exports, restrictions on banking transactions, disruption of transportation activities, and damage to foreign trade processes are among the most likely economic events in the coming months.