The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, effectively slamming the door on the country’s top diplomat.
The sanctions freeze any of Zarif’s assets in the US or that are controlled by US entities, the government announced, saying that it would also 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,” US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
The designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest blow by US President Donald Trump to attempts by the administration of former US president Barack Obama to end nuclear tensions through negotiations.
However, 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.
Zarif has been at the heart of complex talks with foreign capitals over Iran’s nuclear power industry, which Tehran has said is peaceful, but Washington and regional allies, including Israel, insist is cover for a secret weapons program.
However, a senior Trump administration official said that Zarif’s diplomatic image — bolstered by his fluent English, self-effacing humor 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, saying 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?” Zarif said on Twitter.
In addition to attempting to freeze assets, Washington would also squeeze Zarif’s ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat. He is expected to be able to continue to visit the UN in New York City, albeit under tight restrictions.
In the middle of last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Zarif would be issued a visa, but would be limited to the area reaching six blocks around UN headquarters.
However, critics questioned the legal or diplomatic rationale for targeting Zarif, saying that sanctions would all but end the possibility of dialogue.
The senior administration official insisted that Washington still wants talks — only not with Zarif.
US diplomats “do not consider him to be our primary point of contact,” the official said. “If we do have an official contact with the Iranians, we want someone who is a significant decisionmaker.”
“The United States continues to seek a diplomatic solution that addresses the Iranian regime’s destructive behavior. The only path forward is a comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of its threats,” Pompeo said in a statement. “Until then, our campaign of diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure will continue.”
Meanwhile, Zarif sought to minimize the sanctions’ effects on him, saying on Twitter that they have “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.”
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