Khamenei: Iran must immunise itself against nuclear sanctions
Iran's top authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran should immunise itself against international sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme, keeping up a confrontational stance as talks over the dispute were due to resume.
Western powers, fearing Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, have imposed penalties that have slashed its oil exports, causing inflation to soar and the value of its currency to plummet. Tehran says its work is purely peaceful.
Iran and six world powers will resume negotiations over the standoff on Jan. 18, the European Union said on Wednesday.
"What would you do if they set a condition for lifting the sanctions that would compromise your (national) pride?," supreme leader Khamenei told a gathering, in comments published on official IRNA news agency.
"No official would accept it. Efforts must be made to immunise Iran against the sanctions," he said, without going into details on how that should be done.
