Speaking in a ceremony late on Tuesday, Jalali referred to the history of over four decades of comprehensive sanctions against Iran, emphasizing, “The very individual whose country has been responsible for imposing extensive sanctions against the Iranian nation, causing economic hardship and suffering for our people, has now deceitfully claimed to support us.”

He also recalled a painful memory from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting, “We have not forgotten that when Iran needed access to its seven billion dollars in financial resources held in South Korea to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, the US blocked the release of those funds meant for treating patients.”