Iranian President urges all countries to counter US 'Economic Terrorism'

"The United States’ sanctions are considered a kind of economic terrorism and countries that are active in the field of countering terrorism must counter the US’ move," he said, as quoted by his press service.

Rouhani also touched upon the US exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"The United States’ unilateral withdrawal from international agreements like the JCPOA poses a threat to global peace and security," the president added.

He stressed that Tehran was doing everything possible to save the deal, expecting other sides to follow through on their commitments as well.

"We believe that the JCPOA is an effective model for reading peace and friendship among all countries," Rouhani stated.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and the European Union. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the United States abandoned its conciliatory policy on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and hitting Iranian petroleum industries with sanctions.

On May 8, the first anniversary of the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the agreement, Iran announced a gradual reduction of its JCPOA obligations. Tehran then announced that it would start abandoning some parts of its nuclear obligations every 60 days unless European signatories to the deal ensured Iran's interests amid Washington’s reinstated sanctions.