Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the current sanctions on Iran an "assault".
Rouhani stressed that his administration will stand strong against those who have imposed the sanctions, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Aug 30.
Mentioning that Iran is being oppressed with agression, Rouhani urged to stand against the aggressors and don't let the sanctions remain in place.
Rouhani's remarks came after the US Treasury Department on Aug 29 imposed new sanctions against a number of Iranian shipping firms, oil companies and airlines as well as six Iranian banks.
The president also praised the country's nuclear negotiators for taking on "the important and heavy task" and urged full support for them.
"Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as well as his colleagues have made good efforts regarding this, and whenever my involvement was necessary, I stepped in to take the responsibility," Rouhani added.
Rouhani said Tehran will not waste time and will do its best to push ahead with the nuclear negotiations with the six world powers.
Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council comprising of China, France, Russia, Britain, the US Plus Germany) are likely to hold a new round of nuclear talks on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly Session in September.
The two sides have until Nov. 24 to clinch a final deal on Tehran's nuclear energy program.
Iran and the P5+1 sealed an interim deal in Geneva, on November 23, 2013, for a six-month period. The deal, which took effect on January 20, expired on July 20.
Under the deal, dubbed the Geneva Joint Plan of Action, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.