Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told the Iranian public during a Thursday address that in spite of all of Washington’s efforts to sabotage the Middle Eastern country, the nation was able to overcome multiple hurdles.
Zarif remarked during his address that Iranians have managed to demonstrate their “ironclad resilience” over the past year, as the country faced a series of sanctions and renewed tensions that emerged under the Trump administration.
The Iranian diplomat further highlighted how the Iranian public was able to confront “economic terrorism targeting our access to food and medicine,” and stand “up to [a] modern-day state terrorist who murdered the pioneers of our defense and scientific advancement.”
“All of this amid the deadliest pandemic humanity has seen in a century,” Zarif said, underscoring how all of the obstacles created by Washington failed to “bring us to our knees.”
Looking to the future, the foreign minister reiterated that, “We, Iranians, are not just surviving, but we are stronger and more determined, more than ever, to decide our own destiny.”
“Iran’s economy is becoming immunized against outside economic coercion, and while most of the world economy has been shattered, we have officially exited recession, with innovative startups and industrial production leading our growth,” Zarif continued.
“With the defeat of COVID-19 around the corner, God willing, we have a chance to build a different world,” he said. “We, all of us, should seize this opportunity and bring forth a new day.”
Since the US withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, both Washington and Tehran have maintained tense ties with one another, with matters escalating even further when the US ordered strikes in early January 2020 that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Under the Biden administration, relations have not improved much as the US refuses to relent on sanctions, instead requiring Tehran to make more concessions. For its part, Iran has indicated that it's willing to come back under the terms of the nuclear deal as long as the US eases its financial restrictions, effectively putting both countries at a stalemate.
Recently, Iran broke further away from its JCPOA commitments when Iranian officials opted to enrich uranium supplies with the more advanced IR-4 centrifuges.