The latest US-imposed sanctions against Iran are very specifically targeted, hitting Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, blocking all property and financial interests he has within the United States. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t have any.
This is a recurring theme with US sanctions against high-ranking Iranian
officials, as decades of isolation means those people don’t have US
assets to go after in the first place, and the statements are seemingly
just for show.
The timing is immediately after the US rejected a proposal from Zarif
wherein Iran would accept the Additional Protocol to the NPT in return
for the US giving Iran sanctions relief. Though this was a response to
the US claiming to seek talks, the sanctions seem like a rebuke of the
very idea of making such a deal.
The Trump Administration says it will handle its global travel ban on
Zarif on a case by case basis. This means the US might allow him to
visit the UN in September for the General Assembly, or it might not.
US Sanctions Iran FM; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer
Zarif: Sanctions don't effect me anyhow
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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