IRAN'S foreign ministry condemned a U.S. Treasury move to revoke the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, saying the decision breached the Islamabad memorandum on ending the war and holding Washington responsible for the consequences.
The ministry said Iran would take any measure it deemed necessary to safeguard its interests and national security.
The United States on Tuesday (July 7) re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil, as a U.S. official warned that Iran's attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz were "wholly unacceptable" and would be met with consequences.
A U.S. official said earlier negotiators continued to work in good faith toward a final agreement with Iran. But control of the strait has given Tehran immense leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world's most powerful military. Analysts say Tehran uses attacks on ships to underscore that leverage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal with the U.S.
Under the interim U.S.-Iran agreement, the U.S. Treasury issued a June 22 general license to allow the sale of crude oil and petrochemical and petroleum products of Iranian origin through August 21. In revoking that license on Tuesday, it gave Iran until July 17 to wind down any transactions.
