Sanctions on Iran in violation of international regulations, must be lifted: Rouhani

Tehran [Iran], July 28 : Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, addressing a meeting of steel activists and petrochemical industries late on Monday, said that sanctions have been imposed on Iran in contravention of international law and regulations, and they must be lifted at once.
He also said that he has had at least 23 applications made by western statesmen over the last two years. "We did not hesitate to negotiate, but we are not looking for a show," he added, reported IRNA yesterday.
"All products are very valuable to us and the year is designate 'a surge in production' and production is the main basis of meeting needs of society, employment, exports, capturing target markets and finding a due position in the region and the world," he further said.
The petrochemical and steel industries shoulder the heavy burden of both manufacturing and non-oil exports. They satisfy foreign exchange needs and generate jobs for the youth, said Rouhani.
The president further stated that the lifting of sanctions is not a precondition but a reality, adding that they put pressure on the Iranian nation and the government. He called the boycott a measure of economic terrorism.
Iran has been hit by crippling economic sanctions by the United States after the Trump administration pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018. The JCPOA had lifted some previous trade sanctions imposed on Iran, on the condition that they gave up their nuclear weapons programme.
The current American sanctions limit Iran's oil sales. Iran is believed to have the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada.