US 'unilateral, illegitimate' sanctions amount to economic terrorism: Rouhani

AVA- “Unlawful unilateral sanctions in themselves constitute a form of economic terrorism and a breach of the ‘Right to Development.’ The economic war that the United States has initiated under the rubric of new sanctions not only targets the Iranian people but also entails harmful repercussions for the people of other countries, and that war has caused a disruption in the state of global trade,” Rouhani said in his address to the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
He added, “The Iranian people have demonstrated their unwavering resilience during the past forty years despite the difficulties and constraints caused by sanctions, and have shown that they can overcome this difficult phase as well. The multi-millennial history of our country demonstrates that Iran and Iranians have never broken in the face of a storm of events—not even been bowed.”
Rouhani further noted that the US policy vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran has been wrong ever since the Islamic Revolution emerged victorious back in 1979.
He added, “The Iranian people have demonstrated their unwavering resilience during the past forty years despite the difficulties and constraints caused by sanctions, and have shown that they can overcome this difficult phase as well. The multi-millennial history of our country demonstrates that Iran and Iranians have never broken in the face of a storm of events—not even been bowed.”
Rouhani further noted that the US policy vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran has been wrong ever since the Islamic Revolution emerged victorious back in 1979.
The Iranian president stated that Washington’s approach of resisting the wishes of the Iranian people is doomed to failure.
“The policy of engagement and cooperation with Iran has produced positive outcomes for other nations, as best reflected in Iran’s cooperation with friendly countries in the fight against terrorism. 
“The US understanding of international relations is authoritarian. In its estimation, might makes right. Its understanding of power, not of legal and legitimate authority, is reflected in bullying and imposition. No state and nation can be brought to the negotiating table by force, and if so, what follows is the accumulation in the ‘grapes of wrath’ of those nations, to be reaped later by the oppressors,” Rouhani pointed out.
The Iranian president then advised American statesmen to engage in dialogue and negotiation, stressing that dialogue is a two-way process that should be based on equality, justice, human integrity and honor, and conducted in accordance with the rules and norms of international law.
“The UN Security Council resolution 2231 is not simply a piece of paper. We invite you to return to that resolution. We invite you to come back to the negotiating table that you left. If you dislike the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) because it is the legacy of your domestic political rivals, then we invite you to come back to the Security Council resolution. We invite you to remain in the international institutions. Do not engage in imposing sanctions. Sanctions and extremism are two sides of the same coin. Extremism involves negating the thinking of others, and sanctions negate the life and prosperity of people,” Rouhani said.
He went on to say that the world is currently suffering from the recklessness and disregard of some states for international values and institutions.