Zarif: US Ban on Leader Violating American Freedom of Religion

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Wednesday meeting in Tehran, held to celebrate Africa Day 2019, Zarif said the US administration’s decision to blacklist Ayatollah Khamenei and a number of people affiliated with the Leader’s office indicates that Washington is not only fully unfamiliar with the international norms, but also has no knowledge of the regulations and principles of inter-state behavior.

The new sanctions revealed that the US is totally unfamiliar with Islam, he deplored.

Blacklisting a religious leader indicates that the US knows nothing about the bonds between Muslim religious authorities and their followers, Zarif underlined, saying such a measure may cause trouble for many American Muslims who want to perform religious duties.

“This measure could be interpreted as disrespect for the right of freedom of religion for the American Muslims,” the Iranian minister noted.

Zarif added that the US government has made every effort to carry out the policy of “economic terrorism against people of Iran”, but has achieved nothing and is trying new paths.

The top diplomat further highlighted Iran’s role in ensuring regional security, reiterating that the Islamic Republic would never take an act of aggression against its neighbors.

Americans are absolutely mistaken to think that they can provide security in the region by ignoring Iran, Zarif empathized.

His comments came after Trump announced new sanctions against Iran targeting Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders of the IRGC.

Foreign Minister Zarif himself is also going to be targeted by new sanctions, according to some reports.

Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday that he said will deny the Leader’s office and other Iranian officials’ access to financial instruments.

Trump also said the sanctions would have been imposed regardless of the Tehran’s downing of a US spy drone last week by the IRGC.