Iran FM slams US sanctions

By Ahmet Dursun

TEHRAN

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday decried the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, which are set to go into force on Tuesday.

“US is waging the propaganda that it is in touch with Iran’s people and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu writes tweets and sheds crocodile tears every day,” Zarif said in statements cited by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

“You claim that you have connection with Iranian people but the first sanction that you re-imposed against Iran was related to airplane sales; airplanes that would have been used in favor of Iranian people,” he said.

The top Iranian diplomat said U.S. economic sanctions and threats would not force Iran to change its policies.

“Yes, we have been passing through a very critical period of time and U.S. sanctions and extortion may cause some problems,” Zarif said. “But the world is talking about an isolated U.S., not a lonely Iran.”

Earlier Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington will enforce sanctions against Iran.

In May, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany).

The nuclear deal places restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was ready to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani without preconditions.