Sanctions are no joke for the country. They still repeat that these scraps of paper make us more resilient. Instead of becoming more resilient, people become angrier.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani:

Yes, we have a principle that people are strengthened through problems, but people see that they shouldn't have to face these problems.

There are some problems that are natural: famine, drought, war, and so on. People endure them. But when they see that we are sitting on an ocean of oil, and the country is full of vast and rich resources, and has the best geographical position in the world, instead of becoming more resilient, they become angrier. It has reached a point of mockery due to the actions being taken.

In a meeting with hundreds of professors, researchers, writers, and scholars from the Qom Seminary on May 19, 2013.