New Sanctions Accentuate America’s Unreliability

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the United States’ imposition of new sanctions on Tehran, describing the move as an indication of a “completely contradictory behavior” by the White House.
“A government that speaks of returning to the JCPOA [2015 nuclear deal with Iran] and carries on with [US ex-president Donald] Trump’s method of imposing sanctions conveys the message that it is truly unreliable,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, IRNA reported.
The US Treasury Department on Friday announced new penalties against two senior members of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and two affiliated companies for allegedly supplying lethal drones and related material to insurgent groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Ethiopia.
The new bans come as the administration of US President Joe Biden is engaged in negotiation in Vienna, Austria, to revive the nuclear deal which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. 
The agreement, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, has been unravelling since the US former president pulled out and reimposed sanctions that prompted Tehran to row back on its commitments.  
“Different governments in this country have shown how unable they are in comprehending the realities of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khatibzadeh said. 
This policy will have no achievement for the US expect new failures, just as it has not helped Washington attain any of its goals so far, he added.
“These pressures and sanctions will not unsettle Iran’s determination to defend the security and peace of its honorable people,” he said. 
“Tehran will strongly continue on its path of sustainable economic development.” 
Friday’s sanctions block any assets that those targeted may have in US jurisdictions, bar Americans from transactions with them and subject foreign people and firms that do business with them to potential penalties.
Kimia Part Sivan Company, Mohammad Ebrahim Zargar Tehrani, and Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani have been designated for their links to Iran’s IRGC’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle activities. 
Mado Company, Yousef Aboutalebi, and Chief Brigadier Gen. 2 Abdollah Mehrabi are targeted for their links to the IRGC and its affiliate units.
“These targets are linked to Iran’s UAV activities, including activities that threaten US interests,” the Treasury contended in a statement. 
Iran said its drone, as well as missile program is for defensive purposes and thus non-negotiable.  
In Vienna, Iran demands a complete lifting of US sanctions before it reverses its countermeasures to resume full compliance with the JCPOA. 
It also insists that it would not accept the addition of new terms while the US reportedly aims to build on the JCPOA to include Iran’s regional activities and ballistic missile development. 
The negotiations have been at pause since a change of government in Tehran in June, but the new administration has said it would announce a date for returning to the table next week with a target of late November.
Biden imposed the new sanctions ahead of a meeting with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Saturday in Rome to devise a strategy on the issue.