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
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
Turkey said on Monday that any foreign intervention in neighbouring Iran would lead to greater crises in the country and the region, and it called for U.S. and Iranian negotiations to resolve existing problems.
Hezbollah spokesman Youssef Zein declared Monday that his party was "disappointed" by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's remarks about the militia's weapons during a televised interview marking his first year in office.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have blacked out services for four days amid ongoing anti-government protests.
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