Iran’s Rouhani tells critics to blame US, not Iran for economic crisis

The United States, not the Iranian leadership, should be blamed for the country’s economic difficulties, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has said.

"One should not condemn the government or the great Islamic system instead of America -- this is the greatest damage that can be done," he said on state TV.

Hardliners have repeatedly hammered the 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers since the early stages of negotiations, calling it a fool's errand and a deception.

They contend that Iran has gained nothing from the agreement despite complying with its restrictions on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, intensifying their criticism after Washington withdrew from the treaty last year.

Rouhani said on January 30 that Iran was facing “the biggest pressure and economic sanctions in the past 40 years,” according to the presidential website.

President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal -- technically called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- last May, reimposing punishing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Washington also withdrew from the TPP trade agreement in 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change control the next year and forced Canada and Mexico to renegotiate and sign a new deal in 2018 replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The other parties to the Iran nuclear deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia along with the European Union -- have insisted it remains in force and is working.

“Our problems are primarily because of pressure from America and its followers. And the dutiful government and Islamic system should not be blamed,” he also said.

Rouhani made the comments as Iran prepares to mark on February 11 the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that brought the current, clerically dominated regime to power.

This year’s celebrations come amid growing economic hardships after the United States last year pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s economy.

The value of the country's currency, the rial, has fluctuated dramatically in recent months, making it difficult for many Iranians to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, workers including truck drivers, farmers, and merchants have launched sporadic protests that have occasionally led to confrontations with security forces.