Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday condemned the U.S. decision to sanction Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif, referring to it as a show of political and moral incompetence by the White House.
“On the one hand, the Americans are constantly talking about negotiations, but then they sanction our foreign minister,” Rouhani said in a statement posted to his website.
In a tweet, Diako Hosseini, Rouhani’s foreign policy adviser, described the decision as “an act of desperation.
He added that it was “another embarrassing defeat for U.S. diplomacy, because now Zarif’s voice is louder than ever at home and abroad.
“The Americans are just scared of Zarif’s diplomatic capabilities,” Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Musavi, said.
The rare decision by the U.S. to put a key foreign diplomat on its sanctions list on Wednesday followed an executive order by President Donald Trump in July designating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for sanctions.
The U.S. justified its latest decision by saying Zarif acts on behalf of the supreme leader.
The sanctions are not expected to affect Zarif’s ability to visit the UN headquarters in New York, as Washington is bound by an international agreement on that front, though he could see his movement curtailed.
Zarif, who was educated in the U.S., hit back almost immediately, saying the move would have no effect on him as he has no assets outside Iran which Washington could block or seize under the sanctions designation. (dpa/NAN)
