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Iran's vice president said on Saturday the Islamic Republic would resist pressures from U.S. sanctions by relying on its oil and other natural resources.
"It is a critical moment for our economy, but we are not in a dead end ... this country has plenty of human and natural resources that can rely on,” Eshagh Jahangiri was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency.
German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn is phasing out projects in Iran after Washington imposed new sanctions against Tehran and said firms doing business with Iran would be barred from doing business with the United States.New U.S. sanctions against Iran took effect last week and several European companies have suspended plans to invest in Iran in light of the U.S. sanctions, including oil major Total as well as carmakers PSA, Renault and Daimler.Deutsche Bahn is involved in two projects in Iran via its subsidiary DB Engineering&Consulting, a spokeswoman said on Thursday."Both projects will be ended in August and September 2018 respectively," she said. "Due to the altered banking practice we have sought to bring the contract to an amicable and timely conclusion."Deutsche Bahn signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iranian rail operator Bonyad Eastern Railways (BonRail) in May 2017 for the first project, which aimed to identify and address potential in rolling stock and organisation, she said.The second project, which started around 1-1/2 years ago, was a consulting contract for Iranian state railway RAI that included restructuring the company, the spokeswoman added.US is trying to make Iran 'surrender' through sanctionsIran will not change regional policies under US threats: FMIran's Khamenei says mismanagement hurts economy more than US sanctions
German rail operator phases out Iran projects
Russian President Vladimir Putin may take part in a summit with the leaders of Turkey and Iran at the beginning of September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Thursday.The three leaders met in April at a summit in Ankara where they discussed developments in Syria.Russia mulls response to US sanctions over North KoreaTurkey agrees with Russia over partial lifting of visas
'Putin may meet leaders of Turkey, Iran at summit in Sept'
The United States is trying to make Iran surrender through the imposition of sanctions, Iranian vice president Eshaq Jahangiri said on Wednesday.New U.S. sanctions against Iran took effect last week, and President Donald Trump said companies doing business with the country will be barred from the United States.“The first priority for all of us under a sanctions situation is to work toward managing the country in a way that brings the least amount of damage to people’s lives,” Fars News quoted Jahangiri as saying. “America is trying by applying various pressures on our society to force us to retreat and surrender.”The new sanctions targeted Iranian purchases of U.S. dollars, metals trading, coal, industrial software and its auto sector, though the toughest measures targeting oil exports do not take effect for four more months.Trump’s global policy a string of abandoned commitmentsFew U.S. companies do much business in Iran so the impact of sanctions mainly stems from Washington’s ability to block European and Asian firms from trading there.President Hassan Rouhani made similar comments to Jahangiri, although he did not specifically refer to the United States."We will not let the enemy bring us to our knees," Rouhani said, according to state TV. "If the enemy thinks they will defeat us they will take this hope to the grave with them."Khamenei rules out any military confrontation with USWashington had said Iran’s only chance of avoiding the sanctions would be to accept an offer by Trump to negotiate a tougher nuclear deal than the international accord struck in 2015.Iranian officials already rejected the offer and on Monday Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the country, also ruled out the possibility of talks.The Iranian economy is beset by high unemployment and a rial currency which has lost half its value since April. The reimposition of sanctions could also make the economic situation worse.Iran will not change regional policies under US threats: FMRouhani said on Wednesday that the economy is the biggest problem facing the country.Khamenei accused the Iranian government of economic mismanagement on Monday in the face of reimposed sanctions.Thousands of Iranians have protested in recent weeks against sharp price rises of some food items, a lack of jobs and state corruption. The protests over the cost of living have often turned into anti-government rallies. 
US is trying to make Iran 'surrender' through sanctions