Zarif: succumbing to US coercion only increases appetite of Washington

Tehran (IP) - On Wednesday night, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly criticized the US for imposing sanctions on two senior officials of the International Criminal Court.

Iran Press/Iran news: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the US action in imposing sanctions on two senior officials of the International Criminal Court, noting that surrendering to the US regime only increases the appetite of this oppressive regime to impose sanctions on individuals and institutions.

Zarif stated that the only way to stop this endless madness is to stop doing what the United States demands.

The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it had added Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC's Judiciary Relations and Cooperation Division, to the US sanctions list.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also threatened to punish any individual or legal entity that supports the two international officials.

Pompeo also said those involved in the International Criminal Court's efforts to investigate US forces would also be subject to visa restrictions.

In early June, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order sanctioning a number of International Criminal Court officials involved in international investigations into US military crimes in Afghanistan.

The executive order allows the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to seize the assets of a number of International Criminal Court staff involved in investigating US war crimes in Afghanistan.

The United States portested the act of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation without seeking permission from Washington first.

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