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On March 18th, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that “Iran responded, will respond” to the US assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Major-General Qassem Soleimani.
“The Americans assassinated our great commander. We have responded to that terrorist act and will respond to it,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.
Rouhani, however, said that despite the pressures imposed on the people, economy and oil industry, Iran managed for the first time to control the country without using oil money.
He said that during the first three quarters of the Iranian year, the economic growth was positive both with and without oil.
On March 17th, the US imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, keeping up its economic pressure campaign even as it offered to help Tehran cope with the coronavirus pandemic and called on the Islamic Republic to release detained Americans.
It is essentially attempting to blackmail Tehran into a regime change.
Pompeo urged Iran to free U.S. citizens it has detained as a humanitarian gesture because of coronavirus. Iran has reported 17,361 coronavirus cases and 1,135 deaths in one of the worst national outbreaks outside of China, where the pandemic originated.
“We are aware that they are thinking about whether to release them or not,” Pompeo told reporters. “We are urging them … to release every American that is being wrongfully held there as a humanitarian gesture, given the risk that is posed.”
Iran is considering freeing some U.S. citizens, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a news conference where he made clear Washington will maintain its maximum-pressure campaign to choke off Tehran’s ability to export its oil.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US State Department is blacklisting nine entities based in South Africa, Hong Kong and China, as well as three Iranian individuals, for engaging in “significant transactions” to trade in Iranian petrochemicals.
Separately, the Commerce Department said it will add six people – including five Iranian nuclear scientists – and 18 corporations to the U.S. “Entity List” for aiding Iran’s nuclear program, Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear and missile programs, and Russian military modernization efforts.
Just days earlier, on March 14th, Rouhani said that Iran’s fight against the coronavirus was being “severely hampered” by U.S. sanctions.
State media said Rouhani wrote to a number of world leaders, without naming them.
“In (a) letter to counterparts @HassanRouhani informs how efforts to fight #COVID19 pandemic in Iran have been severely hampered by US sanctions, urging them to cease observing them,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.
“It is IMMORAL to let a bully kill innocents,” Zarif said.
On March 16th, China’s Foreign Ministry asked the US to lift its sanctions, saying they were thwarting Tehran’s efforts to counter the pandemic, officially known as COVID-19.
“We urge the US to immediately lift unilateral sanctions on Iran. Continued sanctions are against humanitarianism and hamper Iran’s epidemic response and delivery of humanitarian aid,” spokesman Geng Shuang said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry made a similar announcement, calling the sanctions “anti-human”.
“Illegal unilateral US sanctions, imposed since May 2018 as part of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, are a powerful obstacle to the effective fight against the infection,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
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Georgia gave US an Iranian national accused by Americans for bypassing US sanctions.
Don’t forget to sanction those Chinese and Russian medical experts, virologists and epidemiologists that came to help us. Also very important to sanction Russia and China for their despicable act of repeatedly sending medical supplies to Iran to shamelessly deprive Corona virus of it’s human rights. The virus wants to free the Iranian people of their lives and these authoritarian troika don’t let it. The United States does everything in it’s power to ensure the freedom of navigation for the freedom-loving Corona virus.
Thank you China, thank you Russia. Together we stay strong.
Well said Garga.
Pompeo is a disgusting human being, slapping more sanctions on Iran while pretending that he offered to help the Iranians.
Actual help, suspend all sanctions for 6 months on all civilian commodities, no strings attached. Fake help, require banks to verify that ventilators are not being used by police stations in Iran while continuing to fine companies trying to do business w/Iran. Pompeo is a detestable person. I have no idea why the earth does not swallow him up. At least Bolton was honest, I can respect a snake that hisses loud and proud and does not try to hide what it is. Pompeo sickens me.
Pompeo is the biggest disgrace for country like USA. If USA administration were run by Assad or Saddam or Silvia Berlusconi then the world good have been a beter.Even if run by Putin then there will be lots of ceasefires and peace.Gays like Pompeo are disgrace in the eyes of God.
USA target is Chinese economy power with coronavirus. Secondly usa sincerely want Iran oil so to weaken Iran with Coronavirus is Pompeo and Trump wishes.USA attack China by infecting Chinese during November/December 2019 with this coronavirus.
china took little hit and is back to normal…. in less than 2 MONTHS!
corona virus is now butt-fcking the US and western world…. hopefully PissRael will go down the shithole with it….
Stop the nuclear program, stop shouting “Death to America,” stop supporting terrorist organizations and save your people. You backward jihadists.
stop nuke program — no, why…..all do or none do…simple
stop shouting death to America… death to PissRael — yes, its stupid
stop supporting terror orgs — don’t be stupid
backwards — yes.. time to modernize
Unfortunately, Iranian citizens will bear the consequences of their regime’s decisions.
da!…. so will anyone attacking Iran…
Nobody even talks about attacking Iran.
nobody needs to…. ur comment says it ALL !
Qua ….qua ….qua….qua…..quaquaraqua’ !
Are you a lame duck?
You ommemerd!
LOL. Ga slapen.
In gul amammet’..!
LOL.
F the US ! focus on building ur country with CHINA and RUSSIA !
what a disgusting fat slimy creature.. sanctioning china and south africa for providing help to Iran. I though mccain and allnottoobright were evil creatures but this guy smells bad and farts all the time too.
Go shake some hands.
i bet you do.
Remember the Iranian professor of virology thats in prison for smuggling lab equipment to iran in the US when he went there for a conference?
This action says the US was taking out Iranian experts on the virus they unleashed inside Iran during the solomani assassination procession. Which means millions of Iranians have been exposed.
Thank the Russians who developed the Coronavirus and released it through the Chinese bio-weapons lab in Wuhan. Everyone knows that.
thanks.. We did not know that…. source? other than your ah..
The usual fact-free BS pulled out of your filthy Hasbara ass.
You can stop the US so give up. Not even your own people want you in power. You have to shoot then in the streets just to enforce your Korana virus.
End the phaed,end the fake stocks,end the blackmail thus the petrodolla,bring back gold standard, Is this supposed to be the free world or must everyone obide by the fake,phoney and false dollavirus?
For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence—on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly-knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.
Speech 1961 21.april JFK
Yep. Russia then as now.
The illegal criminal unilateral US ‘Sanctions’ on countries like Iran Venezuela Cuba Nicaragua DPRK Yemen ect ect….AKA Economic/Financial US State-Terrorism….becomes w/ the unfolding threat of a global pandemic – attempted GENOCIDE….a ‘Crime Against Humanity’ !!
Hey, you and they don’t like our global capitalist system? We’ll help you leave it. Fair’s fair. Create your own and stave to death. In the meantime, deal with this Russian/Chinese created Pandemic.
Iran is stronger than US and UK
LMFAO…
the more you see of it you realize that the corona is manufactured in the dysfunctional friggin states of morons and aimed to destroy the hard core opponents of the pax americana and at the same time save the future for the jews in palestine – but a) the virus got away so the yankeetwats are suffering about as much as the iranians and b) the jews will have to fend for themselves in the future since not on honest and reasonable person in the world see the need to keep the jews alive for just that purpose – to keep them alive – in fact for world peace, the jews are better off six feet under pushing up daisies and lilies to the delight of mankind, finally rid of the jews.
Without question, the Coronavirus comes from the Russian bio-weapons scientists who were working at the Chinese bio-weapons lab in Wuhan. As usual, the Russians had a wee bit too much of their Vodka ration and had yet another typical Russian technology accident. No Jews need apply, Adolf or Abdullah as the case may be.
Fuel was rationed to deter illegal smuggling to other countries, as fuel in Iran is very low in price.
That was also the reason for the protest few month ago, because of the very low [subsidized] prices smuggle of fuel to neighboring countries was very common, the Gov had to adjust the prices to twart this. That’s why people protest against it – peacefully – the Gov made the mistake rise the prices w/o anouncing and explaining it but the protests were highjacked/infiltrated by Agent Provocateurs and turned violent [Highly Likely MEK/KSA/CIA/Mossad operatives ect] the whole situation was than propagandistic exploited exaggerated by the western Fake-News MSM + western Regimes in the usually sinister Information-War way.
Well said.
I agree with some points, but an important correction is needed: The opium route actually hurts us very badly. Confronting the smugglers (which are very well organized, armed and under the protection of you-know-who) takes a heavy toll. From less important resources like money and equipment to the most important one: the lives of our policemen, not to mention the delivery of drugs inside Iran.
This route starts from our golden triangle (the border between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) all the way to Turkey and Europe. Ungrateful bastards not only do not help us, they actively try to hamper our efforts in fight against drugs. Not to mention every time a mega smuggler boss is about to be tried/executed they suddenly became aware of the smuggler’s rights and make all kinds of fuss. Much of the discovered and confiscated opium, heroin, morphine and hashish is destroyed, only about %5 is more than enough for the entire domestic medical industry.
Perhaps a better strategy for us would be to make arrangement with smugglers to not supply Iran’s market and instead have a safe passage with escort through the country. I’m sure this way European leaders would be delighted to know that smugglers’ rights would be totally observed and respected.
To honor it’s overabundance of Coronavirus deaths, especially among its top leadership, Islamist Iran just issued a postage stamp honoring those who died. Of course, it comes with a warning not to lick it.
If you’ve ever wondered how globalism works, Pompous ass gives a good example above: “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US State Department is blacklisting nine entities based in South Africa, Hong Kong and China, as well as three Iranian individuals, for engaging in “significant transactions” to trade in Iranian petrochemicals.” So it’s not that just US entities cannot trade with Iran, everybody else must follow suit! Trying to control the entire world, trying to take away their individual choice of who to trade with. This is why EU (and many others) always follow whatever US does. The list of sanctions is very long. It is one of the blueprints of the global control mechanism. Time to assert some freedom people, since the land of the free don’t want you to!