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Rouhani calls on US to compensate for Trump's 'economic war'

President Hassan Rouhani called on the current US administration to undo the harm caused by the previous one, which he said was run by a "crazy person."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses parliament in the capital Tehran on September 3, 2019. - In an address to parliament, Rouhani ruled out holding any bilateral talks with the United States, saying the Islamic republic is opposed to such negotiations in principle. He also said Iran was ready to further reduce its commitments to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal "in the coming days" if current negotiations yield no results by September 5. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Ima
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses the parliament in the capital Tehran on Sept. 3, 2019. — ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

President Hassan Rouhani made some fresh comments today as the public battle between the United States and Iran heats up over which country will take the first step in salvaging the nuclear deal.

Participating in a virtual conference via video, Rouhani admitted that the people of Iran have experienced “difficulty, pain and problems” since President Donald Trump exited the nuclear deal in 2018 and reapplied US sanctions. “We did not think that in America a crazy person would be elected and start a historically incomparable war against the nation,” said Rouhani, referring to the crippling economic sanctions as an “economic war.” 

The new US administration has not yet waived these sanctions, calling on Iran to first return to full compliance with the terms of the deal. Rouhani said, “The people of the US and the current administration have understood that [Trump] was in the wrong.” 

Talking about Iran’s resilience in the face of the “maximum pressure” policy of the Trump administration, Rouhani said, “The enemy brought all of its pressure and suspended our sale of oil. We managed the country without oil sales and wrote a budget not tied to oil.” 

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