Iran presidential candidate: Western sanctions should be broken

An Iranian presidential candidate said Monday that the western sanctions on his country should be broken and next administration should adopt new policies to mitigate the "impact of sanctions in the country." "The impact of sanctions on the country is a fact and we do not deny that, but at the same time we should do every effort to break the sanctions," Mohammad-Reza Aref was quoted as saying by the state IRIB TV. Aref, who was first vice president from 2001 to 2005 under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, said he would do his best to lessen and to nullify the impact of sanctions via constructive cooperation with the country's friends along with enhancing international relations. Activating and "developing foreign policy" would be instrumental in this regard, said the Iranian candidate, adding that his country's strategic and constant position has been to peacefully utilize the nuclear technology. However, the western countries have changed Iran's nuclear issue into a "political dossier" and they intend "to cause problems for the Islamic republic by prolonging the issue," he added. He stressed that the next administration would try to put an end to Iran's nuclear cause by using its "good relations with the friendly countries and via constructive cooperation with the world. " Last week, Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution announced the names of eight eligible candidates for the upcoming presidential election slated for June 14.