President Hassan Rouhani told Iranians on Wednesday that hard times are ahead as the United States imposes new sanctions on the country, according to The Associated Press.
{mosads}Speaking at a televised Cabinet meeting, Rouhani said “the situation was hard for people in the recent months, and it may be hard in the next several months too.”
“The government will utilize its entire capabilities to alleviate the problems,” he added.
The Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May, which has triggered the reimposition of certain sanctions. On Monday, the U.S. is set to sanction the country’s oil and gas industry, according to AP.
While at the UN General Assembly in September, Rouhani slammed U.S. sanctions as “economic terrorism” and “economic war.”
Iran has been facing sporadic protests as their economy struggles, but Rouhani said the anger was not directed at this government but at the U.S.
“People are in fact angry, but … they are mad at America and its crimes — not at their government and its ruling system,” he said Wednesday.
The looming U.S. sanctions have already made companies halt their business with Iran, including a key Chinese bank which announced it was halting financial transactions with the country Nov. 1.