US Policies Targeting Countries’ Sovereignty: Iran’s Shamkhani

 The new policies adopted by the US toward other countries are targeting their identity and national sovereignty, Shamkhani said on Tuesday, addressing the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Ufa, Russia.

“The US under (Donald) Trump is the most warmongering country in the United States’ history,” he stated.

The US has destabilized global security by its unilateralism and sanctions, and has dominated the international monetary and banking networks, using them as a weapon to target independent countries, the top security official went on to say.

“It is necessary for the independent states of the world to stand against this wild monster (the US) through creating multilateral mechanisms,” Shamkhani stated.

The remarks came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.

On the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran announced that it would suspend the implementation of some of its commitments under the deal, announcing that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring its interests in the face of the American sanctions.