US will regret imposing sanctions: Top Iranian diplomat

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Tuesday said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump would realize -- sooner or later -- that its anti-Iran policies would not bring the desired result.

"The U.S. administration will come to regret taking these ridiculous measures," Zarif said.

Asserting that previous U.S. presidents had shown "disrespectful attitudes” towards Iran, he said: "Past U.S. presidents changed their attitudes towards Iran in line with experience. Mr. Trump's administration must understand that its anti-Iran policies won’t bear fruit and therefore have to be changed.”

Describing the inclusion of closed companies on the sanctions list as an indication of “U.S. desperation", Zarif said that only Israel and some other small states were the only ones who supported the move, which was largely opposed by the international community.

Zarif went on to say the Iranian people -- rather than government -- would likely bear the brunt of the sanctions.

He added that the Iranian government had made intense efforts to mitigate the anticipated results of the sanctions on the Iranian public.

"I assure our people that all necessary efforts have been made, both in the Council of Ministers and in other relevant institutions," he said.

"Dark days await the U.S. administration,” the Iranian FM added. “Washington hasn't been able to convince its own people that its policies are serving their interests.”

“This administration doesn't consider its own national interests; it only serves a small group,” Zarif continued. “They cover for committed by Saudi Arabia and Israel.”

In a related development, Zarif also spoke to U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide on Tuesday by phone, according to a ministry statement.

The second phase of U.S. sanctions on Iran, which mainly target the country’s energy sector, formally went into effect on Monday.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara