Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei (Photo by Tasnim news agency)
Iran says new US sanctions announced ahead of the fifth round of indirect talks between the two sides cast doubt on Washington's seriousness to follow the path of diplomacy.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in an X post on Friday, two days after the US State Department said people or entities that provide Iran with certain construction-related materials will face sanctions.
He condemned the coercive US measures as "outrageous," "unlawful and inhuman," saying the bans are "no less than crimes against humanity" as they deprive Iranians of their basic human rights.
"The US's consecutive rounds of sanctions only reinforce our people's deeply held belief that the American decision makers are set to make every malign effort to hinder Iran's development & progress," he added.
"These sanctions, announced on the eve of the fifth round of Iran-US indirect talks, further put to question the American willingness & seriousness for diplomacy."
Baghaei also expressed the Iranian nation's resolve to "remain steadfast and strong" in the face of US animosity and hostile measures.
The remarks came hours before the fifth round of Iran-US indirect negotiations, which is expected to take place in the Italian capital of Rome.
In an X post early on Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that Washington's insistence on zero uranium enrichment will yield no deal.
However, he noted, Iran and the US can reach a deal if zero nuclear weapons is discussed in the talks.
The two sides have already held four rounds of indirect negotiations, mediated by Oman, on Tehran’s nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions.
The nuclear diplomacy has unsettled Israel which has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.
