US Sanctions Iran FM; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer

Zarif: Sanctions don't effect me anyhow

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.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.