Iran condemns Trump's 'hostile and illegal' new sanctions

President Trump
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement slamming President Trump's Friday announcement of 14 new U.S. sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities, most notably the head of the country's judicial system, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani. The statement labels Larijani's inclusion a "hostile and illegal act," accusing the Trump administration of going "way beyond all internationally accepted behavior red lines." Iran promised a "severe" response, laying responsibility for all consequences on Washington.

The sanctions were leveled in connection to the Iranian government's treatment of anti-regime demonstrators at protests in late December and early January. They are separate from the sanctions addressed by the Iran nuclear deal. Larijani is accused of involvement in executing minors.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also objected to Trump's 120-day deadline for changes to the Iran deal, saying the deal is "not renegotiable" and Trump is engaged in "desperate attempts to undermine a solid multilateral agreement."

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.