“Reducing the Islamic republic of Iran's oil exports to zero is a dream that will never be achieved,” Iranian Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad said.
Paknejad’s remarks came at the heels of a new memorandum signed by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, in which he restored the “maximum pressure” policy he had introduced during his first term in office.
Trump, speaking at the Oval Office in the White House after signing the document, argued that Iran is “too close” to obtaining nuclear weapons, adding that “the US has the right to block the sale of Iranian oil to other nations.”
Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency on Sunday quoted Paknejad as describing the US’s “maximum pressure” policy as a “failed” one that had been “tried before and did not work.” He added that if Washington goes ahead with the same policy a second time, “they will not get any results and will fail.”
Signaling that the measures would be tough, Trump said that he was “torn” and “unhappy” about signing the memorandum and added that he hoped that "it’s not going to have to be used in any great measure at all.” He further expressed interest in negotiating a deal with Tehran.
The US Treasury Department on Thursday imposed new sanctions on a few individuals and tankers involved in shipping millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil per year to China. The department said the oil was shipped on behalf of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff.The sanctions target individuals and companies in countries including China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, the department said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei slammed the new sanctions on Friday as an “illegal” move aimed at preventing “Iran’s legitimate trade.”
On his part, Iran’s supreme leader on Friday advised against negotiating with the US describing such an effort as “unwise.” Ali Khamenei’s comments have sparked a debate in Iran between supporters and critics of negotiations with Washington.
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