TEHRAN - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the U.S. is seeking to sow “international confusion” by taking harsh sanctions measures against Iran.

Larijani also said the U.S. administration’s actions against Iran shows that Washington is in a state of “confusion”.
 
The comments by Larijani came two days after the U.S. State Department announced that Washington will not renew two of sanction waivers which allowed Russia and the European nations to do business with Tehran. One of the two waivers allowed Iran to store excess heavy water produced in the uranium enrichment process in Oman. The other one allowed Iran to swap enriched uranium for raw yellowcake with Russia.

Larijani said since the U.S. moves in designating the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as terrorist organization and reducing Iran’s oil sale by zero have reached nowhere, it decided not to extend two other sanctions waivers.

‘Psychological operation on Iran’

Larijani went on to say that there is no limit for unreasonable remarks by U.S. officials, calling U.S. sanctions against Iran as part of a psychological warfare. 
  
“There is no end to the U.S. officials’ illogical comments. They are involved in psychological operation instead of politics,” he said at an open session of parliament.

President Hassan Rouhani also said on Saturday that the U.S. has launched “war on hope” by tightening sanctions measures against Iran.

“They seek to break our hope but we should break their hope,” he said during a speech marking Teacher’s Day.

U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

NA/PA