Iran Press/Europe: Talking to Sky's Ian King Live programme, the UK's trade envoy to Iran Lord Lamont said: "sanctions already caused a huge fall in the value of the rial - 70% down since the beginning of the year - which has put up the price of basic foods and is hitting ordinary people extremely hard.
The UK's trade envoy to Iran said claims by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo that the measures would not hit ordinary Iranians were a "complete nonsense".
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Pompeo claims Iranian people are not the target of US sanctions
Lord Lamont has criticised the US on the day it reimposed sanctions on Iran.
The UK's trade envoy to Iran said the sanctions were aimed at bringing regime change in Iran by encouraging "discontent" among Iranian people.
"This is actually what America is trying to do - to encourage discontent that they hope will be taken out on the Iranian government and lead to a change in regime there," Lord Lamont added.
The UK's trade envoy to Iran said a major concern was whether supplies could reach the Iranian people, despite the US saying these would be allowed.
He said: "The UK is trying to make sure that, for example, goods can get through to Iran, things like medical supplies, pharmaceuticals."
Lord Lamont said that US president Donald Trump's actions were motivated by rivalry with previous president Barack Obama, under whom the 2015 nuclear deal was signed.
He said: "I think what motivates him is that this agreement was signed by Obama and, therefore, it's bad.
"I think - and I'm echoing the (UK) government's position - this agreement was worth having."
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo along with US Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, announced the reimposing anti-Iran sanctions on Monday November 5 at a news conference.
The US Treasury Department added 700 individuals, companies, banks, aircraft and Iranian ships to its' sanctions list.
France, Germany, Britain and the European Union issued a joint condemnation of the United States’ move to place fresh sanctions on the Iranian economy, vowing to protect European companies doing "legitimate" business with Tehran.
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