Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif mocked the US sanctions regime against Iran, including the recent decision to impose sanctions against him personally, saying the US – not Iran – had been left isolated, claiming America is “standing alone” against Tehran.
Speaking at a news conference Monday morning, Zarif said the US bid to form a coalition of Arab Gulf states against Iran to increase the pressure of oil sanctions on the Islamic republic had failed, leaving the US “alone”.
“The US is standing alone in the world. It cannot create a coalition (in the Gulf),” said Zarif, according to Reuters.
The Iranian foreign minister also accused the US of trying to deprive Iran of its rights, but said the recent decision to sanction him personally was a sign US diplomatic efforts to build an Arab coalition against Iran had failed.
Turning to the seizure by British forces of an Iranian oil tanker in July, Zarif blasted the incident as an act of “piracy” and accusing the UK of “economic terrorism” against Iran.
Zarif also warned that Tehran is prepared to withdraw completely from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Last Friday, it was reported that the White House had quietly invited, via Senator Rand Paul, Zarif for a meeting with President Trump last month. According to The New Yorker, Zarif relayed the offer to leaders in Tehran, who instructed Zarif not to attend any such meeting.
