TEHRAN, Iran
\nIran on Tuesday slammed as \u201cdestructive\u201d new US sanctions targeting its crucial energy sector and vowed a response, at a time when nuclear talks have stalled for months.
\nUS President Joe Biden\u2019s administration \u201cis not stopping this unproductive and destructive action even at a time when efforts are underway to resume negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal,\u201d said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.
\nIran will \u201cshow a firm and immediate response\u201d to the sanctions announced the previous day and \u201ctake all necessary measures to neutralise\u201d their potential impacts on the country\u2019s trade, Kanani vowed in a statement.
\nThe US government blacklisted six companies Monday that it said helped Iran export petrochemicals to East Asia in avoidance of sanctions over Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme.
\nThree Hong Kong-based trading companies and one United Arab Emirates firm were hit with US Treasury sanctions for helping Iran\u2019s Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co. ship \u201cmillions of dollars worth\u201d of petroleum and petrochemical products to unnamed East Asian buyers, the Treasury said.
\nIn addition, the US State Department blacklisted two shipping firms, based in China and Singapore, for helping arrange the shipments.
\nThe sanctions block any assets the entities own under US jurisdiction and ban US persons or entities from doing business with them, effectively constricting their access to the global financial system.
\nThe move came as talks in Vienna between Iran and several major powers, including the United States, to revive the frayed 2015 international agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme have been at a standstill since March.
\nLast Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief and coordinator of the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, Josep Borrell, submitted a new draft text and urged all sides to accept it or \u201crisk a dangerous nuclear crisis\u201d.
\nKanani criticised the Biden administration for \u201ccontinuing and even expanding\u201d the \u201cfailed\u201d policies of his predecessor Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018.
\nTehran, for its part, has been gradually backing away from its obligations.
\nIran had expressed \u201coptimism\u201d on Monday that the nuclear talks would resume after Borrell\u2019s draft compromise was reviewed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN, Iran Iran on Tuesday slammed as \u201cdestructive\u201d new US sanctions targeting its crucial energy sector and vowed a response, at a time when nuclear talks have stalled for months. US President Joe Biden\u2019s administration \u201cis not stopping this unproductive and destructive action even at a time when efforts are underway to resume negotiations to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-275180","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n