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 US 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.

"Javad 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 announcing the sanctions.

Zarif responded swiftly to the US move, stating in a tweet that the sanctions would have “no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran”.

The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's "primary spokesperson around the world"

Is the truth really that painful?

It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran.

Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 31, 2019

He added: “Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.”

US officials say Zarif's travels to New York for official UN business would be uninhibited by the new sanctions, in accordance with America's international obligations.

Zarif met earlier this month with Republican Senator Rand Paul, a Trump ally, about potentially opening a back channel for restarting nuclear talks between the two countries. </s> Iranian officials are slamming the United States for imposing sanctions on the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, personally targeting Iran's highest ranking diplomat. The move comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, which have long been at odds.

Zarif took to Twitter to criticize the sanctions in a message laced with sarcasm and incredulity.

"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world' Is the truth really that painful?" Zarif wrote. "It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me a huge threat to your agenda."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani described the move as "childish" and a barrier to diplomacy. "Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions,' and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister," Rohuani said in a speech Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

Others at the United Nations have voiced their own opinions on the U.S.' latest sanction on Iran. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres took an indirect swipe at the U.S. on the new visa sanctions, saying, "When I ask for maximum restraint, I ask for maximum restraint at all levels."

And, when Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy was asked about the new sanctions on Iran's Foreign Minister, he said, "It is very difficult sometimes to get into the heads of the Americans. It remains an enigma. Like a woman's mind sometimes Americans' minds are very mysterious," CBS News' Pamela Falk reports from the U.N.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Wednesday, describing Zarif as someone "who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people." On Twitter, Pompeo posed a picture of Zarif and stated, "Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years been complicit in the Iranian regime's malign activities."

Recently, President @realDonaldTrump sanctioned Iran’s Supreme Leader, who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people. Today, the U.S. designated his chief apologist @JZarif. He’s just as complicit in the regime’s outlaw behavior as the rest of @khamenei_ir’s mafia. pic.twitter.com/XhDdqR6rik — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 31, 2019

Pompeo has recently given mixed signals regarding policy toward Iran. Earlier this week, Pompeo wrote on Twitter, "I recently offered to travel to Tehran and speak directly to the Iranian people. The regime hasn't accepted my offer." Zarif called his offer "empty and disingenuous."

Iranian foreign minister "concerned about hidden agendas" in U.S.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise this summer. On June 19, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker and also detained an additional vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's aggressive posture follows President Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other world powers. The Trump administration has also imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, including restricting its oil exports, leaving the economy in shambles.

In June, President Trump nearly engaged in a military strike against Iran, after a U.S. drone was shot down in Iranian airspace. Mr. Trump said the U.S. military was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran at three different sites on June 21, but he said he called off the operation after learning 150 people would likely be killed. </s> The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, effectively slamming the door on the country’s top diplomat.

The sanctions freeze any of Zarif’s assets in the United States or that are controlled by US entities, the government announced, saying it also will curtail his international travel.

“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest blow by President Donald Trump to the Obama administration’s attempt to end nuclear tensions through negotiations.

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 program.

Zarif shot back, tweeting that Washington is trying to silence Iran on the international stage.

“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’ Is the truth really that painful?” he tweeted.

In addition to attempting to freeze assets, Washington will also squeeze Zarif’s ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat. He is expected to be able to continue to visit the United Nations in New York, albeit under tight restrictions.

“The United States will continue to uphold our obligations,” the administration official said.

In mid-July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Zarif would be issued a visa but would be limited to the area reaching six blocks around the UN headquarters.

Trump last year left a denuclearization accord negotiated by Zarif with six nations including the United States under former president Barack Obama and imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran’s economy, also vowing to curb Tehran’s regional influence.

With tensions escalating in June, Trump says he issued a last-minute cancelation of military strikes on Iran after it shot down a US drone.

Critics question the legal or diplomatic rationale for targeting Zarif, however, saying that sanctions will all but end the possibility of dialogue.

“If you sanction diplomats you’ll have less diplomacy,” Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted.

The senior administration official insisted that Washington still wants talks — only not with Zarif. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, targeting the country’s top spokesman and potentially hurting chances of diplomatic talks amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Zarif, a critical figure in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, dismissed the action and said it would not affect him.

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year and ramped up sanctions to put pressure on Iran’s economy. The move dismantled part of President Barack Obama’s legacy and upset U.S. allies who were party to the agreement, which was designed to restrict Tehran’s pathway to a nuclear bomb in exchange for sanctions relief.

Strains between Washington and Tehran have risen more in recent months after attacks on tankers in the Gulf that the United States blames on Iran and Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone that prompted preparations for a U.S. retaliatory air strike that Trump called off at the last minute.

“Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The sanctions against Zarif would block any property or interests he has in the United States, but the Iranian foreign minister said he had none.

“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’,” Zarif said on Twitter. “Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.”

Zarif lived in the United States, from the age of 17 as a student of international relations in San Francisco and Denver, and subsequently as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York, where he was Iranian ambassador from 2002 to 2007.

The Trump administration said it would make decisions on whether to grant Zarif travel visas, including for trips to the United Nations, on a case by case basis, holding open the possibility that he might attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in September.

If Zarif received such a visa, that would allow direct or indirect U.S. contacts with him during that gathering, which brings most of the world’s leaders to New York and has been the venue for previous U.S.-Iranian contacts.

A senior U.S. official reiterated that Trump was open to talks with Iran, but said the administration would want to deal with a key decision maker, which it did not consider Zarif to be.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, questioned the administration’s move.

“If our position is really that we want to negotiate with Iran than maybe we shouldn’t sanction their chief negotiator,” Murphy posted on Twitter.

On June 24 Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions.

Mnuchin said then that Zarif would be blacklisted that week, but the designation did not happen quickly. Reuters reported in mid-July that the administration had decided to hold off on sanctions against him for the time being.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the Trump administration still sought a diplomatic solution but said Zarif’s foreign ministry was advancing the Iranian Supreme Leader’s “destabilising” policies.

“The only path forward is a comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of its threats. Until then, our campaign of diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure will continue,” Pompeo said.

Mnuchin said Zarif used social media to spread Iranian “propaganda and disinformation” while the government did not allow its citizens to use such mediums themselves. </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)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a “failure” for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.

“Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure” for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is “opposing talks.”

The U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The moves are seen as part of Washington’s escalating campaign in what Trump calls “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic.

The U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump’s withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Zarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington’s policy of threatening war and “talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.”

Zarif’s press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.

Iranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with “smuggled fuel” from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.

Tensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.

In June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.

Maritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.

Also in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.

Also, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.

Referring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.

“During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,” Zarif said.

U.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif’s claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mohammad Javad Zarif thanked the US "for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda"

The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The sanctions freeze any assets Mr Zarif may have in America, the department said.

"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran's Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Mr Zarif tweeted the US had imposed sanctions on him because it considered him as a threat to its agenda.

Tensions between the US and Iran have heightened since the US last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal that aimed to curb Iranian nuclear activities.

There are growing concerns that a number of recent incidents in the Gulf could lead to a military conflict in the vital shipping region.

On Wednesday, the US extended waivers which allow Russia, China and European countries to continue civilian nuclear cooperation with Iran.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Iran's Foreign Minister: We cannot leave our own neighbourhood

White House security adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday that it was a "short 90 day extension".

"I think the idea here is we are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely," he added.

What did the US say?

Mr Mnuchin described Mr Zarif as the Iranian "regime's primary spokesperson around the world".

"The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable.

"At the same time the Iranian regime denies Iranian citizens' access to social media, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spreads the regime's propaganda and disinformation around the world through these mediums," Mr Mnuchin said.

How did Mr Zarif respond?

Mr Zarif said the US move "has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interest outside of Iran".

He posted a tweet, mocking the US move.

"The US reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world. Is the truth really that painful?" he asked.

"Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda."

What about the 2015 nuclear deal?

Last year, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement between Iran and world powers.

Washington has since reimposed tight sanctions affecting the Iranian economy, and also

The other parties of the 2015 deal - China, France, Germany Russia and the UK - criticised Mr Trump's decision and said they remained fully committed to the deal.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Inside Iran: Iranians on Trump and the nuclear deal

Iran responded by breaching the limit on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium set under the nuclear deal.

Tehran stepped up production of enriched uranium, used to make reactor fuel but also potentially nuclear bombs, in May.

Last week, talks were held in Vienna to try to save the nuclear deal.

After meeting representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, a senior Iranian official said the atmosphere had been "constructive".

And what about recent tanker incidents?

Tensions between the UK and Iran rose in July after British forces seized the Iranian tanker, Grace 1, off Gibraltar. It was alleged to be carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, a claim denied by Iran.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Fars news agency appears to show Stena Impero being seized

Several days later the British-flagged Stena Impero was impounded by Iran, which said it had been "violating international maritime rules".

Britain sent a second warship on Sunday to escort its ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Recent incidents have also included: </s> The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, effectively slamming the door on the country’s top diplomat.

The sanctions freeze any of Zarif’s assets in the United States or that are controlled by US entities, the government announced, saying it also will curtail his international travel.

“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest blow by President Donald Trump to the Obama administration’s attempt to end nuclear tensions through negotiations.

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.

“This is a short 90-day extension,” said White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, a champion of the hawkish policy towards Tehran.

“We are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely, they remain under daily scrutiny,” he told Fox Business.

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 program.

But a senior Trump administration official said that Zarif’s diplomatic image — bolstered by his fluent English, self-effacing humour and background as a US-educated academic — was false.

“The key issue is that he has had this veneer […] of being the sincere and reasonable interlocutor for the regime. Our point today is that he is no such thing,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“Today President Trump decided enough was enough,” the official said, accusing Zarif of functioning as “propaganda minister, not foreign minister”.

Zarif shot back, tweeting that Washington is trying to silence Iran on the international stage.

“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’ Is the truth really that painful?” he tweeted.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the sanctions on Zarif showed that the US was ‘afraid’ of the top diplomat. </s> WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, targeting the country's top spokesman and potentially hurting chances of diplomatic talks amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Zarif was an important figure in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal agreed under the administration of President Barack Obama with Tehran and other world powers. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year.

"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran's Supreme Leader, and is the regime's primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The sanctions against Zarif would block any property or interests he has in the United States, but the Iranian foreign minister said he had none.

"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world'," Zarif said on Twitter. "Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda."

The Trump administration said it would make decisions on whether to grant Zarif a travel visa, including for trips to the United Nations, on a case by case basis, holding open the possibility that he might attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in September.

If Zarif received such a visa, that would leave the door open to possible direct or indirect U.S. contacts with Zarif during the gathering, which brings most of the world's leaders to New York and has been the venue for previous U.S.-Iranian contacts.

A senior U.S. official reiterated that Trump was open to talks with Iran, but said the administration did not consider Zarif to be a key decision maker.

Mnuchin said Zarif used social media to spread Iranian "propaganda and disinformation" while the government did not allow its citizens to use such mediums themselves.
The United States Department of the Treasury sanctions Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for implementing the "reckless agenda of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei".