The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said sanctions placed on the country under the pretext of preventing it from attaining nuclear weapons are just an attempt to block Iran's march towards knowledge.

Iran Press/Iran news: “Why would they sanction us over the nuclear issue, while the entire world knows we do not pursue [nuclear] weapons?“ asked Major General Hossein Salami, who was speaking at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) in the holy city of Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province on Monday.

“Actually, they sanctioned us for [our] knowledge,” he added. “They are fighting us over knowledge because they know that knowledge forms the plank of every nation’s power, and underdeveloped countries become dependent [on others],” PressTV reported.

Citing the example of efforts to hamper Iran's progress and march towards knowledge, he referred to the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists. Four Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated by the Israeli regime between 2010 and 2012.

“Our magnanimous Leader has taught us that we have to become knowledgeable in order to be able to grow,” Salami said, adding, “It is for this reason that the enemy assassinated our scientists on the street to show how it would try to stand up to Iran’s scientific progress.”

However, Iran has continued to march onwards and has now transformed into an advanced country boasting incredible scientific and technological capacities, the IRGC commander said.

He went on to say that the economic power of the US is waning albeit at a slow rate.

Salami gave the example of millions of homeless people who sleep rough on the streets of cities and towns in the United States saying this is the true bitter reality of the greatest economic power in the world.

Salami referred to the country’s defensive achievements as manifested by the IRGC downing of an intrusive American spy drone in southern Iran last month.

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