Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister has said that foreign companies complying with US sanctions against Tehran will "not be placed in priority" in regards to the future of the Iranian economy.
Speaking about the departure of South Korean tech companies from Iran, he said that those who comply with sanctionss and abandon the Iranian nation in these difficult circumstances will not be forgotten and will naturally lose their prospect of engaging in future trade with Iran.
"Those who have abandoned Iran should know that they have lost markets which cannot be easily won back in the future," he added.
On Friday, South Korea's tech giants Samsung and LG Electronics reportedly pulled down their last advertisement banners in Iran.
Image, shared by the spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi on Twitter on Fenruary 14, 2020, shows workers removing a banner of South Korea's tech giant Samsung in Iran.
The two companies had already cut their trade relations with Tehran in the past months, submitting to US sanctions imposed on Iran after Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.
Speaking on Sunday, Araqchi said that the country was in a "very critical historical phase" as Washington's campaign of "maximum pressure" had reached its "highest level".
The deputy foreign minister added that the country prioritized domestic production and that those companies which remain in Iran in the current circumstances will also rank higher in priority for future trade cooperation.