Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran will continue to export oil in defiance of U.S. sanctions that he claimed were part of a psychological war doomed to failure.
During a live broadcast in Khov Rouhani gave the following speech, “We will not yield to this pressure, which is part of the psychological war launched against Iran.”
“They have failed to stop our oil exports. We will keep exporting it … Your regional policies have failed and you blame Iran for that failure from Afghanistan to Yemen and Syria,” he continued amid chants of “Death to America!”
Rouhani claims that Washington doesn’t have the international backing required for the sanctions, citing the eight temporary waivers it issued to major oil buyers.
“America is isolated now. Iran is supported by many countries. Except for the Zionist regime (Israel) and some countries in the region, no other country backs America’s pressure on Iran,” he said.
Many countries involved with the 2015 deal that lifted Iranian sanctions have been looking for ways to undermine limits placed by the United States.
One such initiative is the attempt at creating a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) promoting non-dollar trade with Iran, as sanctions have been based on global use of the dollar for oil trade.
While it’s main contributor =, the EU, hoped to have the SPV set up by December, no country has offered to host it.
This is in no small part due to Washington stating that any banks or firms that participate in the SPV would be at risk of falling under sanctions.