Iran shows defiance as Trump vows ‘most biting’ US sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has held talks in Tehran with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho in a show of defiance, as the United States reimposed economic sanctions on the Islamic republic.

The meeting on Tuesday between the two top diplomats from countries both under American sanctions coincided with the return of sanctions, which US President Donald Trump has described as “the most biting ever”.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Tehran, said the timing of the meeting is “likely no coincidence”.

“Iran wants America to know it has friends everywhere.”

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Zarif wrote that the “world is sick & tired of US unilateralism”, adding that “the world won’t follow impulsive tweeted diktats”.

“Just ask EU, Russia, China & dozens of our other trading partners,” Zarif continued.

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

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that “anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States”.

“I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!” Trump said.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the White House, said the “overarching message” from Trump is that other countries should not be doing business with Iran.

But Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, said the current US sanctions would have less effect on Iran compared with previous measures.

“Sanctions are effective as they have international support. This time around, the US is basically bullying the rest of the world into compliance. There are many countries who would not comply like China or Russia,” he said.

“As a result, the leaky sanctions regime would not be as effective as the previous round of sanctions.”

‘Americans have really not got this right’

European governments – who signed the Iran nuclear deal along with Washington – are also infuriated by Trump’s strategy.

Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, encouraged companies to do more business with Iran despite new US sanctions, saying Tehran had upheld its commitments under the deal to limit its nuclear programme.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during her trip to Wellington, New Zealand, Mogherini said it is up to Europeans to decide who they want to trade with.

“We are doing our best to keep Iran in the deal, to keep Iran benefiting from the economic benefits that the agreement brings to the people of Iran because we believe this is in the security interests of not only our region, but also of the world,” she said.

“If there is one piece of international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation that is delivering, it has to be maintained.”

British Foreign Office Minister Alastair Burt said that “Americans have really not got this right”.

The nuclear deal was important “not only to the region’s security but the world’s security”, he told the BBC.

Russia’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply disappointed” by the return of sanctions, adding that it would do “everything necessary” to save the 2015 nuclear deal.

China said it will not abide by the US sanctions.

‘Iranian retreat’

Trump’s decision in May to withdraw from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran spooked investors and triggered a run on the Iranian rial long before the punishing sanctions came back into force on Tuesday.

The sanctions, which target access to US banknotes and key industries such as cars and carpets, were unlikely to cause immediate economic turmoil, analysts said.