'Iran spends no money for its people's welfare'

Iranian people are living in a state with a government that would rather spend money on a nuclear weapons program than on the welfare of its people, U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a daily briefing in Washington, U.S. State Department website reported.

Nuland added that the U.S. is "compelled to increase the pressure and increase the isolation until they see the light".

Iran is having a tough time withstanding the ongoing pressure, with U.S. president Barack Obama expanding the sanctions against the Iranian government and country's Central Bank as well.

Recently, Obama froze all the assets and property in the United States of the Iranian government, financial institutions and the Central Bank of Iran. He pointed to "the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian banks" as warranting additional sanctions.

Nuland noted that the U.S. has "no beef with the Iranian people", as the intentions of the U.S. are to be able to end the isolation of Iran and have it reintegrated into the international community so that the Iranian people can live the way they want to live - in a state that is increasingly democratic and prosperous.

"Unfortunately, the Iranian Government has not lived up to its international commitments, has not come clean with us about its nuclear program, and so we are having to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze economically," Nuland said.

"We are seeking sanctions on those things that provide funding for the regime to continue to pursue its nuclear program, and that's why these sanctions are focused on the government, are focused on crude oil," she added.

The spokesperson noted that the Iranian government makes bad choices for Iran's future, people, for regional security and global security as well.


/Trend/