“We chant slogans like ‘Death to America’, but we do not prevent any country in the region from having relations with the United States. The Iraqi government is close to us, while it has its own way and acts freely. Now, we ask the Americans not to meddle with our relations. The Americans would like Iran to go back to 50 years ago, while we do not want that. We want to play our part in the region,” Mohsen Rezaei said in a meeting with Switzerland Ambassador to Iran Markus Leitner on Monday afternoon.

“We do not intend to fight with anyone but we want to live independently. Our presence in any country is legal and upon the request of its government. If we had not defeated the ISIL, Kuwait and Syria would have been taken by terrorists. We are in Syria and Lebanon to defend their security and peace,” he added.

In reaction to the US move in withdrawing from the nuclear deal with Iran, Rezaei said that Iran is closely watching the Europe, Russia and China’s behavior to see how they act according to their commitments.

He added that Iran nuclear deal is an international agreement which was violated by the US many times, stressing the US sanctions will fail to bring Iran’s economy to its knees.

“Iran is as big as 22 European countries. Some of our provinces are as big as your countries,” Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council said.

Rezaei added that Iran will neutralize the effect of sanctions through expanding trade relations with 15 neighboring countries and its access to international waters.

He noted that Trump is ‘all talks and no action’, adding his policy of using the sanctions regime is wrong and will fail.

Markus Leitner, for his part, welcomed Iranian president’s upcoming visit to Switzerland and expressed his support for the Iran nuclear deal.

Leitner said that his country’s foreign minister had issued a statement declaring Switzerland’s support for preserving the nuclear deal.

He also expressed his country’s readiness to mediate a ceasefire between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.