Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defied mounting pressure from the United States and its allies to curb its ballistic missile programme in an incendiary anti-Western speech to mark Iranian New Year. President Trump pulled the US out of a landmark 2015 nuclear accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with Tehran last year, reimposing significant US sanctions and saying the deal gave away too much to Iran. Other signatories to the deal, including Britain, France, Germany and the EU vowed to help Tehran circumvent the US sanctions through a new payments system but Khamenei accused the Europeans of “stabbing Iran in the back”.
Russia and China also signed the 2015 deal and have remained committed with European countries to the agreement which is struggling without US support.
But in a speech broadcast live on state TV, Khamenei said: “We need to take Iran to a point that enemy understand that they cannot threaten Iran.
America’s sanctions will make Iran self-sufficient.
“They have stabbed Iran in the back.
“The Western countries have proved they cannot be trusted.
“This financial channel they recently set up resembles a joke, a bitter joke”, Khamenei told thousands who had gathered at a shrine in the northeastern holy Shi’ite city of Mashhad to hear his new year’s message.
“The difference between what they are obligated to do and what they are proposing is as far as the earth is from the sky.”
The US sanctions look to force Iran to restrict its nuclear power programme, which America fears Tehran is plotting to use to develop nuclear missiles.
Washington also hopes the penalties will strong-arm Iran into dropping its support for militant proxies in Middle Eastern conflicts including Yemen and Syria.
Britain, France and Germany launched the special payment system, called Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) in late January to help Tehran get around Washington’s sanctions.
However the spiritual leader rejected European assistance, saying: “We should completely forego any hope of help or cooperation from Westerners in strengthening our economy, we shouldn’t wait for them.”
“Once again the Europeans have stabbed us in the back, they have betrayed us,” Khamenei said, cursing Western politicians as “savages.”
In a bizarre tirade, Khamenei continued: ”They wear suits, they put on ties and eau de cologne and carry Samsonite briefcases but they are savages.
“What I am saying does not mean Iran should cut Western ties, not at all… there is no problem in having relations with them, but trusting them is a mistake, don’t trust them.”