Iran accuses US of ‘starting a war’ in fight over sanctions
Rouhani heads to UN in bid to rally general assembly against Trump policy
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will renew his attacks on President Trump over the nuclear deal at the UN General Assembly
Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran and Katrina Manson in Washington 6 MINUTES AGO Print this page0
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani has accused the US of “starting a war” against the Islamic system as he prepared to visit New York in a bid to rally the UN general assembly against the Trump administration’s sanctions on Tehran.
Addressing an armed forces parade in Tehran at the weekend, Mr Rouhani said Washington was no longer orchestrating its plot through regional countries, as with Iraq in the 1980s, but instead was “now directly fighting with the Iranian nation”. The US was “starting a war” with the intention of “hurting the Islamic system” rather than the nuclear accord , signed between Tehran and world powers but from which the Trump administration has withdrawn.
The Islamic republic would not kneel down, he said. “Today, the eastern and western countries are with us and are condemning the US … We will surely defeat [US president Donald] Trump.”
Mr Rouhani’s weekend speech came just before a terrorist attack by an Arab separatist group on a military parade in southern Iran killed at least 25 soldiers and civilians. Iran blamed the US and Saudi Arabia: “They say we should give up our weapons … Iran will not only keep its weapons and missiles but will further strengthen its defence power day by day.”
Iranian officials summoned diplomats from Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands at the weekend, accusing the European nations of allegedly harboring “members of the terrorist group” that launched the attack.
The UAE’s envoy was summoned on Sunday over what Tehran called the “irresponsible and insulting statements” of an Emirati adviser, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
With US sanctions already hurting Iran, politicians close to Mr Rouhani see his trip to the UN, where he will address the general assembly on Tuesday, as a chance to ease economic pressure by fostering more co-operation with Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, who remain committed to the deal.
Mr Trump is also due to address the general assembly a few hours earlier.
Mohammad-Sadegh Javadi-Hesar, a reformist politician in Iran, said: “What can help reduce the impact of the US sanctions is strengthening the international consensus in Iran’s favour and against the US over the nuclear issue.”
Mr Rouhani swept to power in 2013 after he promised voters he would strike the nuclear deal and bring economic prosperity. But Mr Trump scuppered this signature achievement by withdrawing the US from the deal in May and introducing punitive sanctions due to take full effect in November.
On Friday Mr Trump set up a further potential confrontation with Mr Rouhani by announcing on Twitter that he would chair a UN Security Council meeting on Iran, even though US officials had said it would address the broader issue of countering the spread of nuclear weapons.
Despite holding the Security Council presidency this month, Mr Trump risks looking isolated at the helm of an institution he has regularly criticised.
“The [Iran deal] is still alive,” insisted a Security Council diplomat, adding it was the most effective way to limit Iran’s nuclear programme. But European diplomats are unsure whether they can maintain the agreement in the face of sanctions threats to European companies.
White House officials have criticised France, Germany and Britain for attempting to salvage the nuclear deal and for examining ways to lessen the impact of US sanctions. But they say the European government efforts are already redundant because European companies are pulling out of Iran due to the threat of US sanctions.
“The Europeans have a decision to make. And I think that decision is already being made,” Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN told CBS television on Sunday. “If you look, they are dropping business from Iran left and right. Iran’s economy is plummeting and it’s because they can’t continue to sustain this … We’re gonna be really tough on Iran. We’re not giving them a pass.”
Washington says it wants to agree a treaty with Tehran to limit its ambitious missile programme and address wide-ranging complaints. Mr Trump has also said he is willing to meet Iranian leaders with “no pre-conditions”.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and ultimate decision maker, said last month that he would not allow any negotiations with the current US administration and US officials say no meetings are planned.
Mr Khamenei has, however, curbed Iranian hardliners who were pushing for Iran to respond to the US move by itself withdrawing from the nuclear accord. He has backed the continuation of talks with European countries over implementation of the agreement.
Iran denies US charges that it is financing terrorism in the region or seeking nuclear weapons through its missile programme, which it says it needs for self-defence.
US sanctions are already causing economic malaise that has stoked public dissent in Iran, with the currency, the rial, plummeting by around 70 per cent against the dollar this year. US sanctions on the oil industry are due to come into effect in November, and Washington officials insist additional measures will squeeze Tehran even harder.
“Iran has two choices: to embark on radical reforms at home and keep people on its side, or make huge concessions to the US in the near future,” said a reform-minded Iranian analyst. “If economic hardship makes negotiations with the US inevitable, hardliners would not allow Rouhani to be the negotiator.”
Iranians have been panic buying basic commodities and medicine amid fear of further sanctions. They have also been investing their cash in cars, gold and real estate to protect themselves against a further decline in the rial.
An executive close to hardliners said: “Iran has no strategy and does not know what to do with the US, but the US pressure will surely not push us toward radicalism, which could further isolate us in the world.”
Some Iranian leaders suspect the Trump administration is seeking to use economic sanctions to push for regime change, a charge the US denies.