Iran to Resist Enemy Sanctions with Full Power: Zarif


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday reiterated the country’s stance on Washington’s economic sanctions against Tehran and said the Islamic Republic is resolved to resist such pressures “with full power”.

Speaking to Tasnim on Monday, the spokeswoman for the Iranian Parliament’s Hope Faction, Fatemeh Saeedi, pointed to a meeting between Zarif and the members of the parliamentary faction earlier in the day and said during the session, Zarif briefed the lawmakers on the latest developments in the Middle East.

At the meeting, which was held at the request of the Hope Faction, the MPs raised questions about the shooting down of a US spry drone, US President Donald Trump’s threats of war, as well as anti-Iran sanctions, she said.

According to the spokeswoman, Zarif emphasized that Iran is standing firm against the sanctions and threats “with full power” and this resistance will continue.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that a US spy drone that violated the Iranian territorial airspace in the early hours of the day was shot down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defense unit near the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of Hormozgan.

The intruding drone was reportedly shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.

In comments made a few hours after the incident, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said the shooting down of the US aircraft had a straightforward message that any foreign intrusion into Iran’s sovereign territories would draw a crushing response.

“The downing of the US drone had an explicit, decisive and clear message that defenders of the Islamic Iran’s borders will show decisive and knockout reactions to aggression against this territory by any alien,” he said.

“Borders are our redline, and any enemy violating these borders will not go back,” the commander underlined.

He also made it clear that Iran is not seeking war with any country but is fully prepared for any confrontation. “Today’s incident was a clear sign of such a precise message.”

The general also reminded the enemies that the only way for them to remain safe is to respect Iran’s territorial integrity, national security and vital interests.