Iran�s oil industry will not succumb to sanctions imposed by the United States, the oil minister said on Monday in comments carried by the ministry�s SHANA news agency.


Tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from Iran�s nuclear accord with six powers and reimposed U.S. sanctions that have squeezed the Islamic Republic�s economy.


�Neither are we afraid of sanctions nor does it affect our work, it only strengthens our determination to serve our people,� Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said.






As part of the Trump administration�s increasing economic pressure on Iran, Washington last month imposed sanctions on Iran�s Oil Ministry alongside other entities. Zanganeh was blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury Department.


�These sanctions are a kind of revenge,� the minister said. �There is nothing left for the United States to sanction ... the only thing left is probably our services section, like our staff working at the kitchen.�


U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat who was vice president under President Barack Obama when Iran�s nuclear deal was reached, has pledged to rejoin the accord if Iran returns to compliance with it.






In retaliation for Washington�s �maximum pressure� policy, Tehran has gradually reduced its commitments to the accord. But Iran has said those steps were reversible if Tehran�s interests were respected.


Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday the next U.S. administration should use the opportunity to compensate for Trump�s mistakes.