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Iran Responds to US Sanctions on Foreign Minister

Steve Herman

   WHITE HOUSE - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday called the
   move by the United States to sanction Iran's foreign minister
   "childish."

   In a televised speech, Rouhani said the United States claims to want to
   negotiate with Iran without any preconditions, "and then they sanction
   the foreign minister."

   "This is obviously a highly unusual action," a senior Trump
   administration official acknowledged when discussing the U.S. action
   against Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

   The executive order accuses Zarif of acting or purporting to act on
   behalf of his country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was
   recently added to the U.S. Treasury Department's Specially Designated
   Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

   "And today, President [Donald] Trump decided enough is enough," a
   senior U.S. official told reporters on a background briefing conference
   call. "We will continue to build on our maximum pressure campaign until
   Iran abandons its reckless foreign policy that threatens the United
   States and our allies."

   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. "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."

   In a statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the action is
   "another step toward denying the Iranian regime the resources to enable
   terror and oppress the Iranian people."

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