Speaking at the Doha Forum 2018 on Dec. 15 in Qatar, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that U.S. sanctions are having a negative effect on Iran’s economy, but that they are not enough to cause a change in Iranian policy.
He said: “We have [successfully] done business during the previous sanctions, and if there is an art that we have perfected in Iran. … It is the art of evading sanctions.”
He expressed confidence that Iran will continue to survive despite the will of the United States, just as it has for the past 40 .years. The event was streamed live on the Doha Forum’s YouTube channel
Following are excerpts:
Mohammad Javad Zarif: It’s obviously the case that we are facing economic pressure because of the U.S. sanctions. The United States is a major global power, and it can actually create painful conditions for other countries. But would that lead to a change of policy? I can assure you that it won’t.
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We have [successfully] done business during the previous sanctions. If there is an art that we have perfected in Iran, and we can teach it to others for a price, it is the act of evading sanctions.
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We have survived against the will of the United States for the last 40 years, and I believe we will survive for the next 40 years.
