Iran FM accuses Trump administration of 'economic terrorism'

Mohammed Javad Zarif said the economic sanctions the US imposed on Iran constitutes economic terrorism.

1 min read

18 July, 2019

Mohammed Javad Zarif is Iran's foreign minister [Getty]

Iran's foreign minister is telling a United Nations gathering that United States sanctions against his country amount to what he calls "economic terrorism".

Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke on Wednesday at a sustainable development forum. He decried the US sanctions and said "economic terrorism" is "deliberately targeting innocent civilians to achieve illegitimate political objectives".

The US re-imposed tough sanctions on Tehran's oil exports after withdrawing last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers.

US President Donald Trump, a strong ally of Saudi Arabia - Iran's regional and ideological rival, has claimed the deal to be one-sided.

The sanctions exacerbated an economic crisis that has sent Iran's currency plummeting.

Tehran has inched its uranium production and enrichment over the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal, trying to put more pressure on Europe to offer it better terms and allow it to sell its crude oil abroad.

The Islamic republic has said the moves can be reversed if the pact's other participants come up with economic incentives that effectively offset the American sanctions.