Iran decries US sanctions on petrochemical industry

By Mohamed Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) – Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. sanctions on the country’s largest petrochemical group as a violation of “principles of international law”.

"Only a week-long patience proved the U.S. president's void assertion that he was willing to hold talks with Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in statements cited by the official IRNA news agency.

"These measures are in contrast with principles of international law and the international commitments of the US administration,” he said.

The U.S. administration on Friday imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) for indirectly supporting Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Mousavi called on world countries to react to the U.S. “violation of principles of international law and not to let destroy the achievements of the international community and the principle of multi-lateralism be ignored due to U.S. bullying and unilateral acts”.

Tensions have been rising between the U.S. and Iran since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from an international pact world powers struck with Iran to curb its nuclear program.

The Trump administration went on to pursue a number of actions meant to scuttle the agreement, including the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, which went into full effect last month.