The US has imposed further sanctions on companies in the UAE, Iran, and China for working with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
This comes during the last few days of the Trump presidency, with Joe Biden set to take office this week.
The Iranian president’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, dismissed the sanctions as a “show” which demonstrated the Trump administration’s hostility towards Iran.
“The recent U.S. sanctions, while nothing more than a show, are another sign of the Trump administration’s criminal nature – a bankrupt government that even in its last days cannot put aside its hostility towards Iranians,” tweeted Mahmoud Vaezi, chief of staff for the Iranian president.
President-elect Joe Biden has said that he would return to the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal if Iran resumed strict adherence to its terms. The deal was originally struck during the Obama presidency to pare down Iran’s nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions.
Donald Trump during his presidency applied strict sanctions against Iran, backing out of the 2015 deal.
