"Ali Akbar Salehi is a prominent political figure and a nuclear scientist, and our country's nuclear knowledge, under his management, is at the highest scientific and practical level today," Araghchi said.
"Iran's recent steps away from its JCPOA commitments proved that, in contrast with some of the made claims, all of Iran's nuclear capabilities have remained intact and our capabilities in this sector are not comparable with the pre-JCPOA era," he added.
The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Salehi on Thursday, adding his name to the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons) List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reacted to the sanctions in a statement, saying that the new sanctions will have no impact on the development of Iran's peaceful nuclear program. The spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, reiterated that the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran has reached a dead end and Iran will keep walking the path of independence and self-sufficiency.
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