“Contrary to its deceptive claims, new US regulations will aggravate #EconomicTerrorism on ordinary Iranians,” noted Zarif in a Sunday tweet.
He went on to say that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “voiced his delusion that Iranian people must bow to US "if they want to eat". Now, @USTreasury is targeting not merely food but also our imports of medicine.”
In a televised interview on 7 November 2018, the Secretary of State of the United States reiterated the United States extremist policy of maximum pressure as well as the imposition of the most severe sanctions on Iranian people, adding that “the Iranian leadership has to make a decision that they want their people to eat."
Following unilateral withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal (officially known as JCPOA) in May 2018, the US has imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in a dubbed ‘maximum pressure’ policy. Tehran has called sanctions as a form of economic terrorism because it is harming the civilians as well.
The US Treasury Department announced on Friday it had created a new humanitarian mechanism to ensure shipments of food and medicine can continue to be delivered to Iran. The Treasury said it would allow "permissible trade" to support the Iranian people while maintaining its “maximum pressure” policy against the Iranian government, PressTV reported.
However, critics believe the new method is a political ruse, calling the purported humanitarian channel “a farce”.
The new method asks foreign governments and banks to submit monthly detailed reports on humanitarian exports to Iran. Washington says this way foreign governments will certify that their transactions are in compliance with US sanctions against Iran. But, that’s a point critics refer to as the main burden hindering humanitarian trade with Iran.
MNA/ 4757202