Iran lauds nationals for defeating US 'maximum pressure'

TEHERAN－Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iranians on Sunday for their resistance against US sanctions, saying that the people managed to defeat Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign.

They made the remarks in their congratulatory addresses to the nation during the Nowruz celebrations, marking the beginning of the new year in Iran.

Khamenei noted that "the abject failure" of the United States' "maximum pressure" was among the Iranian people's sweetest and biggest achievements in the previous year, describing it as a victory achieved in the light of their resistance, stated the leader's official website.

It also stated that the numerous events that unfolded across the world during the past year proved that the path taken by Iran is right in the face of global arrogance.

Khamenei regretted that people's unfavorable livelihoods and inflation were among the most bitter issues in the year ended on March 20. He said the country's economic problems can, and must, be resolved.

As a tradition of the new year, Khamenei designated the new Iranian calendar year of 1401 as the year of "Production: Knowledge-Based and Job-Creating".

Khamenei said the Iranian New Year, which began on Monday, will focus on production and the creation of jobs. "National production is key to overcoming the economic difficulties and challenges in the country," he said.

'Biggest achievement'

In similar remarks, Raisi said the failure of the US' "maximum pressure" campaign has been the country's biggest achievement over the past few years, which was made thanks to the Iranian people's resistance, according to the Iranian presidency's website.

The president added that his administration also promise not to tie the economy's fate to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and will work to lift and neutralize the US sanctions. Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in 2015.Former US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Teheran.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties, with the US indirectly involved, to revive the deal.

Xinhua - Agencies