Iran Press/America: "It (sanction) won’t meaningfully affect (Mohammad Javad) Zarif’s diplomacy, it probably won’t result in much in terms of asset freeze or complications for him," Obama's sanctions coordinator Richard Nephew wrote on Wednesday evening on twitter.
"But, it will annoy other world leaders," he added.
Back on June 24, US President Donald Trump announced new sanctions against Iran targeting Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and top commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
In his statement on blacklisting Zarif, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that the top Iranian diplomat is a 'key enabler' of Iran’s policies throughout the region and the world.
The US Treasury Department also said in its statement that Zarif is Iran's "primary spokesperson around the world," and that the ban "is sending a clear message that Iran's recent behavior is completely unacceptable.
The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said that Zarif would be targeted with US sanctions later.
This happens after Trump wrote in a tweet, "Just remember, the Iranians never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!"
Trump may think that sanctioning Zarif is going to weakening Iranian diplomacy and negotiations power and this way the US can succeed to impose a better deal with Iran.
Zarif in a message thanked the US for considering him as a huge threat to their agenda.
Earlier, speaking to the New York Times, Zarif said, "Everyone who knows me knows that I, or my family, do not own any property outside Iran. I personally do not even have a bank account outside Iran. Iran is my entire life and my sole commitment. So I have no personal problem with possible sanctions."
He added, "The only impact--and possibly the sole objective--of a possible designation would be to limit my ability to communicate. And I doubt that would serve anyone. Certainly, it would limit the possibility of informed decision making in Washington." 203/209/201
Read more:
Iran's Foreign Ministry decries stupidity of American leaders
Zarif: 'US sanctions has no effect on me or my family, I have no property outside of Iran'
