webfact Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 U.S. puts sanctions on Iranian foreign minister Zarif, who says they won't affect him By Jeff Mason FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina 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 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." 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 "destabilizing" 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. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham, Arshad Mohammed, Patricia Zengerle and Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Grant McCool) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-01 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tug Posted July 31, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 31, 2019 Translation there is nothing left to sanction 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BobBKK Posted August 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted August 1, 2019 Really stupid, Mohammad Javad Zarif is actually an articulate and smart man who might be reasoned with. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Tug said: Translation there is nothing left to sanction I seriously doubt that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 28 minutes ago, BobBKK said: Really stupid, Mohammad Javad Zarif is actually an articulate and smart man who might be reasoned with. Being "articulate and smart" got nothing to do with it. And Zarif isn't calling the shots, but rather conveys policy decision by others - he's not really the one with which "reasoning" takes place. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BobBKK Posted August 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Morch said: Being "articulate and smart" got nothing to do with it. And Zarif isn't calling the shots, but rather conveys policy decision by others - he's not really the one with which "reasoning" takes place. Right so sanctioning this reasonable man is petty and useless. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolboy Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 2 hours ago, Morch said: I seriously doubt that. Very little is left to sanction. Except of course a military blockade. If you count that as a sanction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, BobBKK said: Right so sanctioning this reasonable man is petty and useless. How the above follows is anyone's guess. It's a tool. It's used to apply pressure. It's not supposed to be "nice". 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fvw53 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 ...and no sanctions on Putin who is much more dangerous for the US ....because - as we have seen on several TV appearances - he dominates Trump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAGA 2020 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, fvw53 said: ...and no sanctions on Putin who is much more dangerous for the US ....because - as we have seen on several TV appearances - he dominates Trump. No Collusion, didn't you get the memo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolboy Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 13 minutes ago, MAGA 2020 said: No Collusion, didn't you get the memo Collusion or not, Trump is clearly infatuated with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 2 hours ago, fvw53 said: ...and no sanctions on Putin who is much more dangerous for the US ....because - as we have seen on several TV appearances - he dominates Trump. Putin can bite back, and there's more at stake. Zarif and other Iranian notables aren't quite on the same level. And yeah, there's also that new "special relationship". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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