Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on Monday vowed “proportional reaction” to the new US sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals. Larijani, who is also among the individuals sanctioned, said that the sanctions against the judiciary chief of a country is “crossing all international red lines,” the Tasnim news agency reported. Larijani said that Iran would not remain silent on such measures. But he did not disclose what Iran’s response will be. “The US should know that every hostile action will draw proportional reaction from Iran,” he said, adding that he does not care about the US sanctions against him.

On Friday, while US President Donald Trump agreed to extend the waivers for sanctions on Iran, the US Department of Treasury imposed new sanctions on 14 Iranian individuals and entities over Iran’s alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile programme. Larijani said that the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), could by no means be changed or linked to other issues.

Under the nuclear deal, signed by Iran with six major powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapons development program in exchange for the lifting of the nuclear-related sanctions. The US President has to decide whether to continue the waivers for the sanctions on Iran every 120 days.

Trump on Friday said he decided to extend sanctions waivers on Iran for the last time, threatening to withdraw from the pact unless US Congress and European allies can fix the alleged “disastrous flaws”. Calling it “a last chance,” Trump said the US “will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal.” </s> Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country has lodged a complaint against the US government at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over new American sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In a message in his Twitter account, Zarif said Iran has on Monday filed a complaint at the ICJ “to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions.”

“Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating int’l law,” the top Iranian diplomat added.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that was reached in 2015 after two years of talks. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

In comments in July 2017, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on Iran’s Judiciary to legally pursue international issues and declare its stances on various subjects, such as sanctions or the US freeze on Iran’s assets.

“The Judiciary should act through a legal position on issues such as sanctions, American confiscations (of Iran’s assets), terrorism, or support for the world’s oppressed characters like (Nigerian cleric) Sheikh Zakzaky or support for Muslims in Myanmar and Kashmir,” Ayatollah Khamenei had said in a meeting with Judiciary officials. </s> But he coupled that announcement with new sanctions on 14 Iranian individuals and entities -- among them Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, head of Iran's judiciary.

In a statement Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the Trump administration's "hostile and illegal act" in including Larijani in its sanctions list "has gone way beyond all internationally accepted behavior red lines."

"Iran's response will be severe and all consequences of this hostile act will be the responsibility of the United States," it said.

Many of those sanctions -- including one targeted at Larijani -- were in response to the Iranian government's crackdown on peaceful protests that have swept the country in recent weeks. Others were linked to support for the country's ballistic missile program. These areas fall outside the scope of the nuclear deal. Protests die down, but the anger in Iran won't go away Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, tweeted Friday that the United States "must bring itself into full compliance -- just like Iran," in reference to the 2015 nuclear deal agreed between Iran and world powers, including Russia. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow has a "very negative stance" on the decisions and comments made by Trump about Iran, according to state news agency Sputnik. "Our worst expectations are coming true," Ryabkov said Saturday. The prospect of a US withdrawal from the Iran deal "will deliver a very serious blow to the whole system of international agreements and to the enhancing of the nuclear nonproliferation regime," he added. The sanctioning of Larijani, the most prominent of the US targets, could have "serious political impact inside Iran," a senior Trump administration official predicted Friday. Senior administration officials said Larijani has overseen the sentencing and execution of juveniles in Tehran. Iranian students protest at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems on December 30. The US sanctions also targeted two other Iranian officials whom the administration said are responsible for ordering abuses against citizens, including the denial of medical care and access to legal representation for protesters in Iranian jails. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization were each labeled for acting on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. The Treasury Department also designated two Iranian defense industry firms that provide key maintenance and overhaul services for the military's helicopter and aircraft. "The United States will not stand by while the Iranian regime continues to engage in human rights abuses and injustice," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. "We are also targeting Iran's ballistic missile program and destabilizing activities, which it continues to prioritize over the economic well-being of the Iranian people." </s> DUBAI - Iran said on Saturday it would retaliate against sanctions imposed on its judiciary head by the United States as President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to 'fix' a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.



Trump said on Friday he would waive nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time to give Washington and its European allies a chance to fix the "terrible flaws" of the 2015 nuclear deal.



Washington also announced sanctions against 14 entities and people, including the head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.



"The Trump regime's hostile action (against Larijani)... crossed all red lines of conduct in the international community and is a violation of international law and will surely be answered by a serious reaction of the Islamic Republic," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media.



On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on that Trump's decision undermined the multilateral agreement. </s> DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Saturday it would retaliate against sanctions imposed on its judiciary head by the United States as President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to ‘fix’ a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.

Trump said on Friday he would waive nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time to give Washington and its European allies a chance to fix the “terrible flaws” of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Washington also announced sanctions against 14 entities and people, including the head of Iran’s judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.

“The Trump regime’s hostile action (against Larijani)... crossed all red lines of conduct in the international community and is a violation of international law and will surely be answered by a serious reaction of the Islamic Republic,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media.

On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on that Trump’s decision undermined the multilateral agreement. </s> TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country’s powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year’s presidential election.

The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption.

Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and on Sunday supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to “recent arguments” among powerful figures, adding: “This will be resolved with the help of God.”

Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing $2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption.

He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

“How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?” Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was “very well”, Rouhani said, “but what becomes of the money?”

Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary’s handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

“It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case,” Larijani said, insisting it was working “to recover the misappropriated money”. “The case remains open... we have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank,” he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were “not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani”.

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about $600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani’s assets in Iran. Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its “full cooperation” to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013. The judiciary chief provided no names but said it would begin to investigate the alleged payments.

That claim appeared to raise the stakes in the dispute and prompted Rouhani to urge the judiciary disclose its own financial dealings.

“The government is ready to shed light on its accounts and expects the judiciary to do the same,” Rouhani said on Tuesday on Twitter, in an apparent reference to recent criticism of judiciary bank accounts managed directly by its chief.

“The judiciary accounts are transparent and anyone can view them,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie said in response to the tweet, demanding Rouhani “take action” for transparency.

“They need to tell the public how much Mr. Rouhani spent on the 2013 presidential campaign and where they money came from,” Mohseni Ejeie said.

Some critics have accused Rouhani of attacking the judiciary to appeal to his moderate base and divert attention from a lack of immediate economic results from the nuclear deal.

The 2015 agreement between Tehran and six world powers, which saw sanctions lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, is expected to be a centrepiece of Rouhani’s re-election campaign.

In his speech on Sunday, Khamenei appeared to urge the two sides to overcome their differences.

“The existence of an independent and courageous judiciary must be appreciated by everyone,” he said. “What defeats the enemy in its objectives is to have a strong judiciary and a government that is both brave and can plan accurately.”

Rouhani clashes with judiciary in run-up to vote was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 09, 2017 and was last updated on January 09, 2017. This news story is related to Print/177798-Rouhani-clashes-with-judiciary-in-run-up-to-vote/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Rouhani clashes with judiciary in run-up to vote" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/177798-Rouhani-clashes-with-judiciary-in-run-up-to-vote. </s> Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country’s powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year’s presidential election. The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption. Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and today supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

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In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to “recent arguments” among powerful figures, adding: “This will be resolved with the help of God.”

Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing USD 2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption. He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

“How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?” Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was “very well”, Rouhani said, “but what becomes of the money?” Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary’s handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

“It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case,” Larijani said, insisting it was working “to recover the misappropriated money”.

“The case remains open… we have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank,” he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were “not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani”.

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about USD 600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani’s assets in Iran.

Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its “full cooperation” to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013. </s> FILE – In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic.

The highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Zarif, in response to the sanctioning, tweeted: “It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran.”

U.S. officials said Zarif’s travels to New York for official U.N. business will not be inhibited by the new sanctions, in accordance with America’s international obligations.

Zarif met earlier this month with Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a Trump ally, about potentially opening a back channel for restarting nuclear talks between the two countries. </s> "The hostile and illegitimate actions of Trump's regime to include Larijani in the sanctions list… have crossed all red lines for behavior in the international community and represent a violation of international law and both bilateral and international US commitments, to which Iran will respond with a serious answer," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, noting that Washington's decision only demonstrated the ongoing American hostility toward Iranians.

The ministry has once again reiterated the country's position on the issue, opposing the US move concerning the Iran nuclear deal.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran stresses clearly that it will take no measures beyond its commitments under the JCPOA and will accept no changes to this agreement now or in the future and will not allow that the JCPOA be linked to any other issue [than the nuclear issue]," the statement read.

Iran's Foreign Ministry, sending a strong message to the US, has named those, whom they consider to be behind the attempt to undermine the deal, which took years and great diplomatic efforts to reach.

"The internal solidity of and international support for the agreement have blocked attempts by Mr. Trump, the Zionist regime [of Israel], and the ominous alliance of hard-line warmongers to terminate this agreement or make changes to it," the ministry said.

READ MORE: US Likely Took Course to Demolish Iran Nuclear Deal — Russia's Deputy FM

The tough stance was voiced a day after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to suspend restrictions on Iran for another 120 days to remain in the deal so that the United States and Europe could fix "significant flaws" in it. Simultaneously, Washington imposed separate sanctions on a dozen Iranian individuals, including Iran's Chief of Judiciary Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, and entities, related to the country's ballistic missile program.

READ MORE: Trump Decides to Extend Iran Sanctions Waiver, But for the Last Time — WH

The decision is in line with a position Trump has been voicing in relation to the Islamic Republic since his election campaign. When he became the US president, Trump officially reiterated his views concerning the country, refusing to re-certify the deal in late October 2017.

Despite all this criticism, Trump, however, does not contest Tehran's compliance with the deal at the international level, while at the same time not excluding the possibility of withdrawing from the deal if the agreement is not improved. Other JCPOA signatories have called on the United States to comply with the agreement's provisions, saying that the deal had yielded results and was non-negotiable.

The Iran deal, also known as the JCPOA, that was signed in July 2015 by Tehran and the P5+1 group of nations — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, stipulates a gradual lifting of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic in exchange for the country maintaining peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the January 12 U.S. sanctions on Chief Justice Sadeq Amoli-Larijani are "beyond all [...] red lines."