Iran promises retaliation for latest U.S. sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed Wednesday to retaliate against additional sanctions imposed by the United States, accusing Trump administration officials of "duplicity in their actions."

“Surely, if the Americans seek to apply sanctions against us under whatever title or pretext, the great nation of Iran would aptly respond to them,” Rouhani said.

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions targeting 18 people, groups and firms supporting the Iranian military, its revolutionary guard and its ballistic missile program. Iran's missile development is banned by the U.N. but not covered by the nuclear accord struck between Iran and six world powers two years ago.

Earlier this week, the State Department certified to Congress that Iran was technically in compliance with the nuclear deal — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — but was "in default of the spirit" of the accord.

The nuclear accord lifted economic sanctions against Iran in return for the Islamic Republic halting development of nuclear weaponry. The other countries that signed on — Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany — remain committed to the accord. Trump, however, has repeatedly railed against "the very bad deal."

Rouhani dismissed the Trump administration complaints as political.

“We are glad that our partners in the P-five-plus-one have steadfastly employed perseverance to safeguard the JCPOA," Rouhani said. "As always, Americans resorted to duplicity in their actions."

Major General Mohammad Ali Ja’afari, commander of Iran's revolutionary guard, stressed Iran’s missile development is not negotiable.

“Iran’s missile power in air, sea and on land is rapidly increasing, and this is an inalienable principle," he said. Ja’afari called for the U.S. to move its regional bases more than 600 miles from Iran if it plans to blacklist his guard or impose sanctions on the military. The U.S., he said, "has to pay a high price for its miscalculation."

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the latest sanctions as a "worthless move" and said it would soon impose "sanctions on a number of American natural and legal persons which have taken measures against the Iran and other Muslim regional nations."

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The ministry statement noted U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "once again confirmed Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal in a letter to the U.S. Congress in a move that ran counter to all their previous claims" of Iranian misbehavior.

The statement said the "unilateral and illegal sanctions" were designed to compensate for the Trump administration's failure to persuade its European allies to withdraw from the nuclear deal.

The U.S. will freeze any assets the targets of the latest sanctions have in the U.S. and will prevent U.S. citizens from doing business with those targets.

"The United States will continue to aggressively counter Iran’s malign activities in the region," the State Department said. "While the review is ongoing, the United States will also continue to expect strict Iranian adherence to Iran’s nuclear commitments."