Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the United Nations General Assembly that Iran will not negotiate a new nuclear deal as long as his country faces sanctions and accused the United States of "ruthless economic terrorism."
Iran has resisted the "most ruthless economic terrorism," Rohani told world leaders at the UN headquarters in New York on September 25. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated since the United States withdrew a year ago from the nuclear deal that Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.
In addition to the withdrawal, the United States has reinstated and increased sanctions on Iran, targeting oil exports and the banking sector, while Tehran has withdrawn from several points of the nuclear deal.
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to renegotiate the nuclear deal, saying its terms were not tough enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or agree to stop its missile program.
Iran, on the other hand, has rejected new negotiations, saying its missile program is for energy purposes. Tensions between the two sides have worsened since the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil refineries.
The United States, Saudi Arabia and several Western countries have blamed Iran for these attacks, while the latter has repeatedly denied the accusations.
