Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani admitted for the first time that the country’s situation is not “normal” and that US oil sanctions make it difficult to run local affairs.
The surprising remarks came during Rouhani’s visit to the city of Kerman on Tuesday. He was previously portraying Iran as a strong and stable country, where US sanctions strengthen the regime.
“Iran is experiencing one of its hardest years since the 1979 Islamic revolution,” Rouhani said on Tuesday. “without money, we cannot run the affairs of the state.”
Iranian president noted that his country needs 45 billion USD annually to run its affairs, and that the country could gain 60 billion USD annually from oil revenue if it was allowed to export its oil.
US has re-imposed all the sanctions, which were exist against Tehran before the 2015 nuclear deal.
The sanctions cover Islamic Republic’s shipping, financial and energy sectors. Iran’s economy is highly reliant on its oil exports.
