ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iranian government on Friday slammed Washington’s new sanctions on its oil minister Mohsen Paknejad, saying the move demonstrates US “hypocrisy,” as it recently calls for nuclear calls with Tehran.
The “sanctions serve as "another clear proof of the falsity of these statements and another sign of its hostility to development,” said Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement.
The US Treasury Department on Thursday said Iran "continues to use the proceeds from the nation's vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people."
The sanctions also designate three entities engaged in the Iranian oil trade in China.
"These entities provide services to the ghost fleet vessels...enabling Iran's attempts to disguise its illicit oil trade," US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The new wave of sanctions comes as United States President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asking him to engage in nuclear negotiations.
Iran will conduct a "thorough assessment" before responding to the letter which the UAE delivered Wednesday, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Khamenei has previously stated that he does not support negotiations with the Trump administration because he does not trust Washington.
During his first term in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal – an agreement between Tehran and world powers to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Subsequent attempts at reviving the deal have failed to yield results.
In February, Trump signed a memorandum restoring his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran and detailing a series of new economic measures against the Islamic Republic.
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