US-Iran tensions: Can't talk with somebody who is threatening you, says Tehran

Iran’s UN ambassador said on Monday that conditions were not ripe for a dialogue with the United States after President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Tehran. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told reporters that the United States must stop “its economic war against the Iranian people.”

“You cannot start a dialogue with somebody who is threatening you, who is intimidating you,” said Ravanchi. “The atmosphere of such a dialogue is not ready yet.” The ambassador spoke a few hours after the United States announced a raft of new sanctions that target Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eight Iranian commanders.

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US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order, imposing a "hard-hitting" sanction on Iran. The new sanctions will further deny the Iranian Supreme Leader and other officials’ access to financial instruments within US jurisdiction. Speaking to reporters at his Oval Office in Washington, the United States President said, "We do not seek conflict with Iran or any other country," adding that "I can only tell you we cannot ever let Iran have a nuclear weapon".

Trump said that the executive order signed by him will impose "hard hitting" sanction on Iran and it will deny the Iranian Supreme Leader and other officials access to financial instruments. He signed the order in presence of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"I think a lot of restraint has been shown by us but that doesn't mean we're going to show it in the future," Trump said. "We will continue to increase pressure on Tehran," he stated.

When asked if his executive order was in response to the Iranian attack on US drone, Trump replied "you could probably add that into this" but then said, "this was something that was going to happen anyway". "I know many Iranians living in New York, and they're fantastic people," Trump said in response to a question.

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As part of the expanded sanctions, the United States has also decided to blacklist Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and block "billions" more in Iranian assets, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin informed.

While eight top military commanders from Iran's Revolutionary Guards have now been blacklisted, Zarif would be added to an economic sanctions list "later this week, Mnuchin told media.