Presidential candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref says the impact of illegal sanctions against Iran can be cut by interacting with other countries within the guidelines set by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Press TV reported.
In a speech at Tehran University on Thursday, the reformist candidate said Iran can minimize the impact of sanctions by expanding brotherly ties with Islamic countries and by having "positive and constructive interaction with the world... though a strong diplomatic system and within the framework of general policies approved by the Leader."
Aref also stated that the West's dispute with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear energy program is politically motivated and that the West is well aware that Iran has had no diversion in its peaceful nuclear activities.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program and have used the unfounded accusation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.