Washington, Sep 22 (UNI) United States has announced new sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear programmes, media reports said on Tuesday.
"My actions today send a clear message to the Iranian regime and those in the international community who refuse to stand up to Iran," President Donald Trump said adding, "My Administration will use every tool at our disposal to stop Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and conventional weapons pursuits".
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement, said that the UN arms embargo on Iran is now re-imposed indefinitely, and he will ensure that it remains in place until Iran changes its behavior.
The new executive order was issued just days after when the US effort to impose sanction on Iran was largely rejected by other members of the UN Security Council.
Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations will not take any action on  "pending clarification by the Security Council" on whether sanctions on Tehran should be reimpose.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Javed Zarif, said he was willing to trade all US citizens in Iranian jails with jailed Iranians in the US.
Speaking at a virtual event with the Council on Foreign Relations, Zarif was asked whether Iran was still considering retaliation for the killing of Qassem Suleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander. He replied, "Trump ordered the assassination of a national hero for Iran and for the region. I’m not in the business of making threats, but the books are not closed."
UNI XC JAL SRJ 1656