TEHRAN — Iranians have the talent and ability to turn hardships into opportunities, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has said, referring to the United States’ unilateral sanctions against Iran.

“This is an important point which the Americans should pay attention to,” Larijani said, according to IRNA.

He made the remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the first exhibition of Iran’s sport and equipment industry in Tehran On Sunday.

Larijani also said the U.S. sanctions have activated Iran’s industry.

U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted a maximum pressure policy against Iran since he walked away from the JCPOA. The policy includes sanctions on Iran’s economy, especially its oil exports, and bans on top Iranian figures and organizations. At the same time, the U.S. president has pushed for talks with Tehran.

Iranian leaders have openly rejected the notion of talks with the U.S. as long as its illegal sanctions against Tehran are in place.

Tehran has described the U.S. sanctions as “economic war” and “economic terrorism”. 

Iranian officials have also described the sanctions as an opportunity to become self-sufficient.

Under the JCPOA, the official name for the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran had agreed to put limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions.

Since the U.S. withdrawal, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran have been trying to salvage the pact, defying Washington’s economic and political pressure.

The United States’ coercive unilateral measures against Iran have led to heightened tensions in the Middle East, especially in the Persian Gulf.

MH/PA