U.S. sanctions Iran's foreign minister amid escalating tensions
Source: Washington Post
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday in a dramatic step bound to further escalate tensions with Tehran.
The move to punish Iran’s top diplomat had been anticipated after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said last month that President Trump had directed him to do so. But the sanctions were delayed after State Department officials argued that would close the door to diplomacy.
Trump has frequently expressed a desire to talk with Iranian leaders, even as his administration deepens a maximum pressure campaign that has devastated the Iranian economy.
A Treasury Department statement said Zarif was sanctioned because he “acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly” Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who himself was sanctioned in late June. At that time, Mnuchin said measures would also be taken against Zarif, although action was subsequently postponed amid statements by Trump that he was willing to negotiate with Iran “without preconditions.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-sanctions-irans-foreign-minister-amid-escalating-tensions/2019/07/31/1d4f3780-7eaf-47cc-8c55-569f6ede7615_story.html
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