US new sanctions utterly ineffective: senior MP

“They have sanctioned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which is, according to international laws, impossible,” he said, “We will continue our diplomacy.”

“The Leader of the Islamic Revolution is also sanctioned, while he has not traveled to foreign countries after his Presidency and has no banking account,” he said.

“Therefore, US sanctions in this regard are futile,” he concluded.

“The US has sanctioned IRGC previously and imposing sanctions on IRGC commanders once again is totally useless,” Zonnour underlined.

On June 24, US President Donald Trump announced the measures against the office of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s foreign minister, and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the country’s elite defense force. Trump said the measures would deny the Leader’s office and other Iranian officials access to financial instruments.

The sanctions were imposed after Iran shot down a US spy drone that had violated the Iranian airspace waters on June 20.