Iran’s Soleimani: US sanctions on FM Zarif are ‘insane,’ ‘sign of defeat’

Al-Arabia – US sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are “insane” and “a sign of defeat,” the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force (IRGC-QF), Qassem Soleimani, said on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

US sanctions on Zarif “proved” that the Foreign Minister has had a “profound” effect on public opinion and on Americans, exposing US leaders’ “ignorance,” claimed Soleimani.

The US imposed sanctions on Zarif on July 31. In an accompanying statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that “Foreign Minister Zarif is a key enabler of Ayatollah Khamenei’s policies throughout the region and around the world. The designation of Javad Zarif today reflects this reality.”

According to Fars, Soleimani went to visit Zarif on Tuesday morning in his IRGC uniform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Tehran.

“America’s sanctioning of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Minister is insane and a definitive sign of the White House’s defeat,” Fars quoted Soleimani as saying.Last Update: Tuesday, 6 August 2019 KSA 09:18 – GMT 06:18