Iran says new U.S. sanctions breach nuclear deal
Iran's government says it will soon announce retaliatory measures
Iran has complained to the Joint Commission created to oversee the country's nuclear deal with major powers about sanctions the United States imposed on Iran in July, saying they breached the agreement's terms, the speaker of parliament was quoted on Tuesday as saying.
The Joint Commission of the formally titled Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was created to supervise the nuclear agreement clinched in 2015 between Iran and six major powers, including the United States. The deal led to the lifting of most sanctions against Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
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However, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on six Iranian firms in late July for their role in the development of a ballistic missile program after Tehran launched a rocket capable of putting a satellite into orbit.
The U.S. Senate also voted on the same day almost unanimously to impose new sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea. The sanctions in that bill also target Iran's missile programs as well as human rights abuses.
"Iran's JCPOA supervisory body assessed the new U.S. sanctions and decided that they contradict parts of the nuclear deal," Iran's speaker of parliament Ali Larijani was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying.
"Iran has complained to the (Joint) Commission (of the JCPOA) for the breach of the deal by America," he added.
Iran response coming
Iranian media said on Monday the government had agreed to measures in response to the U.S. sanctions and that President Hassan Rouhani would announce them soon to relevant ministries.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a veiled threat against Iran last week, warning Tehran to adhere to the terms of the nuclear accord or face "big, big problems".
The Trump administration certified Iran as being in compliance with the nuclear deal, even though the Republican president has called the agreement, negotiated by his Democrat predecessor Barack Obama, "the worst deal ever."