"Since last year, many countries have contacted us, and we, in turn, have also held a series of negotiations with a number of countries. Of course, we will sell much more than we buy," the minister said on the air of the IRINN TV channel.
He also noted the achievements of Iran in the military field, despite the fact that the country was under sanctions. According to the minister, "the enemies recognize" that Iran is a "missile power" that draws attention to itself, and is also "one of the five leaders" around the world in the creation of drones.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that Washington was ready to levy sanctions on any individual or entity that contributes to the supply or sale of weapons with Iran.
A day prior, Iran declared that the UN Security Council arms embargo against Tehran was no longer in effect and that its hands were untied in dictating the movement of armaments over its borders.
In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption. In 2018, the United States abandoned its conciliatory stance on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hard-line policies against Tehran.
Earlier this year, the US tried to campaign for the restoration of international sanctions on Iran, specifically, an extension to the arms embargo, but all of its draft resolutions ended up being rejected.