Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that US sanctions are a crime against the Iranian people and that Washington will not achieve its goals with sanctions, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo considered that Washington succeeded in eliminating Tehran's ability to support Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq.

In a speech to him on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, which was broadcast live on state television Friday, Khamenei added that Washington has multiple goals, the first of which is to move the people against the regime and against the institutions in the country, indicating that this plan has failed.

He also stressed that his country will not negotiate with the United States because it wants to strip Iran of its capabilities. Khamenei indicated that facing sanctions depends on national capabilities, not by giving up the elements of power.

For its part, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced extending its hand to the countries of the region and cooperating with them in order to achieve security and stability, and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that these countries will not find a better friend than Iran in order to achieve that goal.

Mousavi added that Tehran is concerned about the situation in the region, and that achieving security and stability in it depends on strengthening cooperation between its countries, stressing that Iran's policy is to work to reduce tension and put an end to any misunderstanding with the countries of the region, as he put it.

American pressure

In another context, Mousavi stressed that Iran has become accustomed to US sanctions and that its strategy is based on facing extreme pressures and relying on its own potential.

For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country's maximum pressure campaign against Iran has succeeded in destroying its ability to support Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq.

Pompeo added, at a session held by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that Washington was pleased with the impact of the sanctions imposed on Tehran.

"The sanctions have had a clear impact. They have destroyed Iran's ability to support Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq, but they have not achieved the ultimate goal of changing the behavior of the Iranian regime, but we are happy that they are beginning to change."

The US Secretary of State stated that his country will use all diplomatic means to urge the Security Council to renew the arms embargo against Iran. Pompeo warned that Iran would spread destruction in the Middle East if the Security Council failed to extend its arms embargo.