Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has urged the country's residents to counter "a serious economic war" which he claimed the US has unleashed against the Islamic Republic, according to the Iranian news agency Press TV.
He said that the Americans believe that "they can succeed in crippling our economy so that Iran, in the words of the US President, is forced back to the negotiating table."
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"Under the circumstances, all state officials including the government, Majlis [the Iranian parliament], the elite and political currents and all Iranian people are requested to unite against the big plot which has started, and help pass this stage with dignity and fulfillment."
According to Jahangiri, striking Iran's transportation sector remains high "on the enemy's agenda" amid Washington's plans to reinstate sanctions against the Islamic Republic's aviation and shipping industries.
His remarks came a few days after Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif signaled his country's readiness to return to the negotiating table with the United States if it sticks to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
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At the same time, Zarif slammed US counterpart Mike Pompeo for making "threats" against Iran last month, when he made 12 demands that Tehran had to meet to avoid what Pompeo described as "the strongest sanctions in history."
Zarif called Pompeo's ultimatum a "desperate reaction" and an attempt to justify Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. The top Iranian diplomat urged the Trump administration to cease deal violations and "economic aggression" against Iran as well as acknowledge regional meddling.
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In his speech "After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy" at the Heritage Foundation in Washington in May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised that the US would apply unprecedented financial pressure on Tehran via sanctions, which he said would make Tehran battle to "keep its economy alive."
The Iran nuclear deal was signed by the European Union and the P5+1 group of countries, including China, Germany, France, Russia, the UK and the US, on June 14, 2015. The agreement stipulates a step-by-step lifting of anti-Iranian economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear program and allowing inspections to ensure that the nature of its nuclear program is purely peaceful.