Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s address in mid-2018 appeared to forecast European difficulties in honouring pledges to protect trade with Iran from new US sanctions after Wash­ington’s repudiation of world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. He said the nuclear deal did not resolve any of the economic problems of Iran. He predicted that a mechanism proposed by the EU to shield business with Iran against the US sanctions would also be no panacea for Iran’s economic hardship. I have a lot to say about the Europeans; not because of their current policies, but their mischievous nature over the last few centuries,” said Khamenei. Khamenei’s comments cast doubt on the efficiency of Zarif’s past and present efforts to keep the agreement alive.

Source: Pakistan Today March 05, 2019 17:05 UTC