JOL

The Iranian government rolled out a draft 2020 budget, seeking to minimize the impact of tough US sanctions pressures against Tehran by reducing the country’s dependence on oil exports.

Iran will overcome US sanctions one way or another, either by bypassing them or through negotiations, President Hassan Rouhani has said, the Iranian Students’ News Agency has reported.

“The government is determined to defeat (the enemy) by bypassing America’s sanctions…or through various means including talks, but will not cross our red lines,” Rouhani said, speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

At the meeting, which focused on the government’s efforts to combat poverty and unemployment, Rouhani noted that US sanctions, including banking and oil export restrictions, have meant lower government revenues, which have had an impact on ordinary Iranians’ lives.

He added, however, that the government has worked to strengthen manufacturing and knowledge-based companies, to attract investment and to increase self-sufficiency in agriculture and energy to deal with economic problems.

Rouhani also urged his fellow citizens not to believe rumors he said were being propagated by “enemies” about alleged government plans to “shut down the internet,” which he said were not true. Rather, he said, the country is working to create a “robust national information network” to complement, rather than replace, the internet.