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Iran condemns 'illegitimate' US sanctions targeting oil exports

Friday, 07 February 2025 6:41 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 07 February 2025 6:45 AM ]

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei (Photo by Tasnim news agency)

Iran has strongly condemned new sanctions slapped by the administration of US President Donald Trump on the country's oil industry, saying they run contrary to international rules and standards.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denounced the bans as "completely unjustified" on Friday.

The remarks came a day after the US Treasury Department targeted more than a dozen individuals and companies, as well as vessels, claiming that they are facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China.

The sanctions were the first on Iran after Trump restored his so-called “maximum pressure” campaign on the country.

"The decision of the new US administration to put pressure on the Iranian nation by preventing Iran's legitimate trade with its economic partners is an illegitimate, illegal and wrongful act, whose responsibility lies on the US government," Baghaei added.

"The Islamic Republic holds the US accountable for the consequences of such unilateral and bullying measures."

US slaps new sanctions on Iran under Trump's failed 'maximum pressure'

The US has imposed its first set of sanctions on Iran as Trump revived his so-called maximum pressure strategy against Tehran.

On Tuesday, Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing a tough anti-Iran policy, which he practiced in his first presidential term after unilaterally withdrawing Washington from the historic 2015 nuclear deal.

In an X post, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump's measure a failed experience.

He said the decision to restore maximum pressure policy will only compel “maximum resistance" on the part of Iran again, adding, “Smart people ought to choose ‘Maximum Wisdom’ instead."

During his campaign trail for a second term, Trump had stated at an event in New York in September that, if re-elected, he would minimize the use of sanctions. He argued that employing sanctions excessively “kills your dollar and it kills everything the dollar represents.”

“Look, you’re losing Iran. You’re losing Russia. China is out there trying to get their currency to be the dominant currency, as you know better than anybody,” Trump remarked.

On Tuesday, The New York Times said Trump had also implemented a strategy of maximum pressure in 2018, following his decision to withdraw the US from the nuclear accord with Iran that had been established under the Obama administration three years earlier.

"Mr. Trump still claims that was a major victory, but most outside analysts say it backfired," the newspaper wrote.

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