Iran FM Zarif says world is sick and tired of US unilateralism

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the world is "sick & tired" of Washington's unilateralism in response to a tweet by US President Donald Trump warning other countries against doing business with Tehran.

News ID: 439004

Date: 08 August 2018 - 21:03

RNA - "Tantrums & CAPPED TWEETS won't change the fact that the world is sick & tired of US unilateralism. Stopping US trade and killing 100K US jobs is fine with us, but the world won't follow impulsive tweeted diktats. Just ask EU, Russia, China & dozens of our other trading partners," tweeted Zarif on Tuesday.

Tantrums & CAPPED TWEETS won't change the fact that the world is sick & tired of US unilateralism. Stopping US trade and killing 100K US jobs is fine with us, but the world won't follow impulsive tweeted diktats. Just ask EU, Russia, China & dozens of our other trading partners.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 7, 2018

Stressing that this is not the first time Trump has claimed he is waging war for world peace, Zarif noted that international relations are not a beauty pageant filled with thread-bare clichés about a desire for world peace.

"Reminder: International relations is not a beauty pageant, with tired clichés about a desire for WORLD PEACE. And it is not the first time that a warmonger claims he is waging war for "world peace," he also tweeted.

Reminder: International relations is not a beauty pageant, with tired clichés about a desire for WORLD PEACE.
And it is not the first time that a warmonger claims he is waging war for "world peace".
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 7, 2018

Earlier in the day, Trump warned other countries against doing business with Tehran, saying he had imposed "the most biting" sanctions on the country.

"The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level," Trump wrote in an early morning tweet Tuesday.

"Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less," he added.

His warning was apparently addressed to the EU which put into force a law banning companies from complying with US sanctions or court rulings and enabling them to claim compensation for potential damage.

Despite warnings from the EU and other international players, the United States pulled out of the deal in May and reintroduced the sanctions that had been lifted under the accord. Washington also said third countries that maintain business with Iran would be penalized with “secondary sanctions.”

According to Press TV, Iran, meanwhile, has remained in the deal, stressing, however, that its commitment would only continue if the remaining parties could ensure continued trade with Iran and Iranian access to the international market.

The EU has already activated a “blocking statute” to protect European businesses from the secondary sanctions.

Also on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stressed that the international community has an obligation to maintain economic relations with Iran, despite the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from a multilateral deal with the Islamic Republic that could hamper such relations.

“So the deal has two parts: Iran gives up their nuclear program and the international community opens up trade and economic relations with Iran. This second pillar has to be maintained if we want the first pillar to be maintained,” Mogherini said. “So far, Iran has been compliant fully with their nuclear commitments.”

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