TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday a US decision to impose sanctions on Mohammad Javad Zarif (pic) shows they are “afraid” of his top diplomat, as tensions heightened between the arch-enemies.
The US Treasury said the sanctions would freeze any of Zaria’s assets in the United States or controlled by US entities, as well as squeeze his ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat.
“They are afraid of our foreign minister’s interviews,” Rouhani said in a televised speech, referring to a recent round of interviews Zarif gave to foreign media in New York.
“It is completely clear that the foundations of the White House have been shaken by the words and logic of an informed, devoted and diplomatic individual.
“They are doing childish things now. Maybe there’s no better way to describe (the sanctions) but childish,” Rouhani said on a visit to the north-western city of Tabriz.
“Our enemies are so helpless that they have lost the ability to act and think wisely.”
The designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest in a string of moves by the United States against the Islamic republic.
“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s supreme leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
“The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable.”
The arch-foes have been locked in a battle of nerves since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a landmark 2015 deal aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear programme and began reimposing sanctions.
The situation has worsened since the Trump administration stepped up a campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran this year, with drones downed and tankers mysteriously attacked in Gulf waters. – AFP
But in a mixed message to Tehran, Washington on Wednesday extended waivers for three Iranian civil nuclear projects, to avoid upsetting the other signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement — China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain.
Zarif has been at the heart of complex talks with foreign capitals over Iran’s nuclear power industry, which Tehran says is peaceful, but Washington and regional allies including Israel insist is cover for a secret weapons programme.
But a senior Trump administration official said Zarif’s diplomatic image — bolstered by his fluent English, self-effacing humour and background as a US-educated academic — was false. – AFP
