TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani, who is attending a summit in Malaysia, said on Wednesday that the United States has no choice but changing its approach toward Iran.

“The United States has no choice but changing the path it has taken. We will force them to do so through resistance,” Rouhani said during a meeting with a group of Iranian residents in Malaysia.

He noted that imposition of sanctions is a “lose-lose path” which cannot last long and must be stopped.

“In my opinion, sanction is an illegal move which cannot last long,” he said.

Rouhani also said that the Iranian residents in foreign countries have faced many difficulties because of sanctions.

“However, you should turn these problems into opportunity,” he said. 

U.S. President Donald Trump, who abrogated the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal in May 2018, has slapped the harshest ever sanctions in history against Iran in line with his administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran. His administration has even threatened to penalize any country that does business with Iran.

“Today, everyone knows that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA has benefited no side, not even the US itself and its friends,” Rouhani stated, according to Press TV.

By exerting economic pressure on Iran, the U.S. and Israel are attempting to “force us into isolation and pit the Iranian people against [the country’s Islamic] establishment by making them lose their patience,” he noted.

However, the nation has been withstanding the unjust sanctions that have affected their livelihood by targeting foodstuffs and medical supplies, among other things, the president remarked.

‘Iran has made progress despite sanctions’

Rouhani went on to say that Iran has made technological progress in nuclear industry despite the unprecedented sanctions and pressure.

“Today, new centrifuges of IR6 are working and IR9 centrifuges are at the stage of testing,” he said.

Elsewhere, he said that Iran has proved that it holds dialogue and abides by its commitments.

Ambassadors of peace 

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iran has always been against terrorism and extremism, adding that the Iranian residents in foreign countries should be ambassadors of Iran’s message of peace and friendship.

NA/PA