US sanctions will have no effect on Iran ties with world: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has downplayed the effect that US sanctions might have on Iran’s economy, saying that the restrictive measures will have no influence on Iran’s relations with the world.

In a meeting with Croatia's new Ambassador to Tehran Drago Stambuk on Saturday, the Iranian president said the country will prevail under circumstances created as a result of the sanctions.

“Today, the world and the international organizations condemn the White House [for imposing sanctions on Iran]; and we will undoubtedly overcome these issues. We do not care about [what the US has done],” said Rouhani.

The Iranian president went on to say that Washington's disruptive influence on the relations between nations as well as governments will be to the disadvantage of business organizations that seek to strengthen cooperation with one another.

Rouhani further expressed pleasure with the establishment of a long-awaited direct payment mechanism between Iran and Europe, saying the European Union showed that it can act independently despite Washington's anger.

PressTV-Defying US, Europe launches payment channel with Iran

In a blow to US sanctions against Iran, the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal unveil a direct payment channel with Tehran meant to protect bilateral trade ties.

Following months-long preparations, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain finally unveiled the mechanism, officially called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), on Thursday following a meeting in Bucharest.

The new measure will allow trade between the EU and Iran without relying on direct financial transactions.

Unhappy with efforts by allied EU countries to blunt the impact of American bans, Washington sought to play down the newly-launched mechanism.

Joseph Giordono-Scholz, the spokesman for the US embassy in Berlin, claimed Thursday, "We do not expect the SPV (special purpose vehicle) will in any way impact our maximum economic pressure campaign."

He said that Washington was "closely following" the developments regarding the EU's financial channel with Iran.

Following its withdrawal from the Iran 2015 deal, officially known the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Washington warned its European allies against any attempt to evade its anti-Iran sanctions, threatening those refusing to abide by the bans with "terrible consequences."

The Europeans, however, said they were intent on trying to salvage the deal and find ways to compensate for Washington's absence in an effort to keep Tehran in the deal.

Iran has said the JCPOA without the US should meet its economic interests or it will leave the nuclear deal.

Elsewhere in his Saturday remarks, President Rouhani pointed to the deep-rooted historical and cultural relations between Tehran and Zagreb and called for closer ties with Croatia in various fields.

The Croatian official, who submitted his credentials to the Iranian president, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the EU measure to implement the new trade mechanism with Iran, saying the move would help boost economic ties between the two countries.

He said that Croatia would use every opportunity to promote ties with Iran.

In a separate meeting with Venezuelan Ambassador to Iran Carlos Antonio Alcala Cordones, Rouhani expressed the Islamic Republic’s support for the “legitimate government” of Venezuela amid the political crisis in the Latin American country.

He said Iran stands by the government of President Nicolas Maduro in the face of plots hatched by the United States.

Rouhani said “the Americans are basically opposed to all popular revolutions and independent countries and seek to dominate the world by suppressing them.”

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He expressed confidence that the Venezuelan people would further throw their weight behind Maduro’s government to thwart the US plot.

The Venezuelan official said, “In the path of struggle against imperialism, we have counted on the support of our good friends, including Iran.”

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