The Treasury Department today announced sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif over his actions on behalf of the supreme leader of Iran, in the latest U.S. move to ratchet up pressure on the regime.
The action follows a June 24 executive order signed by President Donald Trump imposing sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an emailed statement. "The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable.”
Mnuchin said that “at the same time the Iranian regime denies Iranian citizens’ access to social media," Zarif is spreading the regime’s "propaganda and disinformation around the world through these mediums."
Zarif promptly hit back on Twitter: “The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's ‘primary spokesperson around the world’," he wrote. "Is the truth really that painful?"
He added: "It has 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.”
While today's action follows the June 24 executive order, “additional information” links Zarif’s ministry to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, according to the email. The Quds Force has been under sanction since 2007.
Relations between the U.S. and Iran have steadily deteriorated since Trump unilaterally puled out of the Iran nuclear deal last year.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine