ایرن‏آن

Official: Economic Sanctions Beneficial to Iran

The economic sanctions imposed on Iran by certain world powers have proved beneficial to the country, a senior Iranian official said Wednesday.
 
 
 

"The economic sanctions revived the spirit of self-confidence in us and this spirit will remain in the future," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei's Representative to the force, Ali Shirazi, said while addressing a meeting of officials and commanders of the naval force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under three rounds of UN Security Council sanctions, including economic embargoes, for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.

Iran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.

Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar inaugurated the production line of home-made Younes 6 hovercrafts on Tuesday.

Also On Monday, Najjar said that production of military tools and equipment in the country has tripled in recent years following proper planning by his ministry.

Last Wednesday, Iran started production of 30 important military tools and equipment, including electronic, telecommunication and radar devices.

"These new production lines and products are related to electronic warfare, anti-electronic warfare, radar and sonar systems, air and sea cruising and positioning, electro optical and laser systems and different advanced and thermal night goggles, military communication and simulators," Najjar stated during an inaugural ceremony held for the launch of operation of the production lines of the said devices.

Najjar reiterated that Iran has produced advanced electronic warfare and anti-electronic warfare and radar systems, including information gathering, wiretapping, orientation, spotting and positioning systems which operate in different (radio) bands, process different kinds of information and have the capability to identify enemy data, spot enemy transmitters and confuse or paralyze them.