Skip to main content

Iran says new US energy sanctions show 'lack of goodwill' in Iran-US talks

1 min Mena Today

New U.S. sanctions against Iran's energy sector point to Washington's "lack of goodwill and seriousness" over dialogue with Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday ahead of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks this weekend.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

New U.S. sanctions against Iran's energy sector point to Washington's "lack of goodwill and seriousness" over dialogue with Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday ahead of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks this weekend.

On Tuesday, Washington targeted an Iranian liquified petroleum gas magnate with sanctions, which fall within the scope of President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign and its objective to drive Iranian oil exports to zero.

"The continued imposition of sanctions against various economic sectors of Iran is in clear contradiction with the U.S. claim for dialogue and negotiation and indicates the lack of goodwill and seriousness of the U.S. in this regard," Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement shared on Telegram.

Both high-level and expert-level talks are to take place this Saturday in Oman to begin drawing up a framework for a potential deal over Iran's disputed nuclear programme.

On a visit to Beijing where he met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iran's state media it was too early to judge the outcome of Iran-U.S. talks, which he said were going in the right direction.

"We are cautiously optimistic and if the Americans continue to stay in a constructive way and avoid any unrealistic, undoable demands, I am confident we can conclude a good deal at the end," Iran's top diplomat added.

Reporting by Dubai Newsroom

Related

Lebanon

Inside Hezbollah’s medical network

Kuwait has added eight Lebanese hospitals to its national sanctions list over alleged links to terrorism, according to the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai. The hospitals are all located in areas where Hezbollah is influential: southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Lebanon

Lebanon's Tripoli building collapse kills 15

The death toll from the collapse of residential buildings in the Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to 14 after search and rescue operations ended, Lebanon's National News Agency said on Monday citing the civil defence chief.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.