Leader: Iran to export as much oil as it needs; US cannot block sales

Speaking at a meeting with a large group of Iranian workers on Wednesday, Leader played down Washington’s recent decision to end exemptions from sanctions for countries buying oil from Tehran.

“In the first place, such attempts will lead nowhere, and we are capable of exporting as much oil as we need and want,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader warned that “this act of hostility will not go unanswered,” emphasizing that the Iranian nation “will not sit idly by” in the face of its enemies.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said the enemies have recurrently failed in their attempts to bring the Iranian nation to its knees.

They are now resorting to economic pressure to achieve that end, but will once again fail to do so, the Leader added.

“They (enemies) imagine they’ve blocked [our] way, but our vigorous nation and vigilant authorities will overcome the dead-ends if they put their efforts into this,” the Leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei, however, called for collective efforts to reduce domestic dependence on oil.

The Leader said American and Israeli officials claim that they are the enemies of the Iranian government and not of the Iranian people, “however, enmity with the Islamic Republic is enmity with the Iranian nation because the Islamic Republic is standing thanks to the support of the people.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said that although the US sanctions against Iran have caused problems, they would benefit the country if “correctly and logically” dealt with.

“Sanctions lead to reliance on domestic power, capacity, and initiatives,” he said.

The Leader said Iran appreciated a lower reliance on oil sales and considered it as “a kind of opportunity” to focus more on its domestic capabilities.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the recent measures against Iran were the enemies’ “last breaths of enmity” and that they would “ultimately grow tired of hostility toward the Iranian nation.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump has said it seeks to stop Iranian oil sales by imposing sanctions on countries that continue purchasing Iranian crude after May 1.

In May last year, Washington unilaterally withdrew from a multilateral deal with Iran that mainly guarantees Iran’s oil sales in return for a number of concessions by Iran and the lifting of US sanctions on the country.

Tehran and the other parties to the deal, including European countries, have remained in the deal.

Previously, the US had issued waivers to its sanctions for eight major buyers of Iranian crude.