Iranian Envoy: Stop intensifying negative attitude on Obama administration

Criticizing US Treasury and State department’s anti-Iranian move, Iran’s Permanent Ambassador to UN Mohammad Khaza’ie said at UN that the negative move would further intensify the pessimism about America in Iran.
Envoy: Stop intensifying negative attitude on Obama administration
“Although the US officials say that the move is related to the sanctions imposed prior to the Geneva nuclear deal, such moves can all the same and under the current sensitive conditions leave serious negative effects on the process of the negotiations,” he said.

Referring to the criticism expressed by some members of the G5+1, including Russia, against the recent US anti-Iranian move, he said, “The negative effects of this move under the prevailing conditions would include the increased negative approach of the Iranian nation and the international community which are waiting for achieving of a comprehensive win-win solution in the negotiations, as well as losing the Iranian nation and the international support for these talks.”

This move would also put the negotiators under such conditions that they can no longer have hope in reaching a logical and sustainable mutual understanding as a result of continuing the negotiations, he said.

“It is better to refrain from any move that can destroy the emerged positive atmosphere under the current, sensitive conditions and the negotiators had better know that management of the talks and maintaining the positive atmosphere ruling over the negotiations is more important than the initial step, today,” said Khaza’ie.

The Iranian diplomat said that therefore, the side that would manage to govern this phase well would be the winner side, and we believe the US Treasury’s move is against that path.

The United States announced on Thursday a list of companies and individuals being hit with heavy penalties for attempting to evade current sanctions on Iran, in a move that will play into the ongoing debate in Congress over whether to levy more and greater embargoes on Tehran over its nuclear program.

Thursday’s announcement from the US departments of State and Treasury designated several companies for engaging in transactions with Iran’s main shipper of crude oil, the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC).

For example, Mid Oil Asia, based in Singapore, was listed for being “used by NITC to transfer funds to an Egypt-based company and to ensure the payment documents did not mention the name of the vessels or Iran, the country which owned them.” Three shipping vessels were also flagged as being of interest to one of the violators, Sirqiya Maritime Corporation.

Another 11 Iranian companies and individuals were designated as sanctions evaders for circumventing American embargoes related to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

As a result of the designations, the United States will now move to “prohibit transactions between the designees and any US person, and freeze any assets they may currently have or that come under US jurisdiction.”

Any foreign financial institution that does business with them may likewise be blocked from accessing property under the US jurisdiction and have their connection to the American banking system cut off.