Iranian Foreign Minister: We Have Mastered The Art Of Evading Sanctions

Top Iranian diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday contended that newly-imposed American sanctions will have little effect on and will not alter the policies of the Islamic Republic because “there is an art we have perfected in Iran and can teach to others for a price; it is the art of evading sanctions.” The United States in November slapped a second round of financial penalties on Tehran targeting its crucial energy, shipping and banking sectors; this, after President Donald Trump in May unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. The comments came just days after European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini revealed that a mechanism being devised specifically to circumvent U.S. sanctions and allow for continued non-dollar trade with Iran will likely be completed within the month. Diplomats in Brussels have over the past half-year been working feverishly with their Iranian counterparts to finalize the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to help preserve the economic benefits Tehran received as part of the atomic pact. The U.S. economic pressure is geared towards curbing Iran’s expansionism and militarization of regional countries such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as preventing the mullahs from developing ballistic missiles through which to deliver nuclear warheads.