TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that the European special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran, known as INSTEX, should not be a means to carry out U.S. orders.

“INSTEX is a preliminary phase and has not yet been implemented completely, and if it’s implemented, it is essential that oil income enter it. It should not be in a way that INSTEX be a means to carry out the U.S. orders and they tell the Europeans that how INSTEX should work,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

The Europeans should dare to act based on their commitments and not the U.S. orders, he added.

He also said, “Today’s tension and problems have been caused by the U.S. economic terrorism and Europe’s inability to meet its commitments which means accompanying the U.S. economic terrorism.”

The United States has slapped the harshest ever sanctions in history against Iran. It has introduced a total ban on Iran’s oil exports.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally called the JCPOA and endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, Iran is tasked to put a cap on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions.

‘I hope B-team will be reduced to Netanyahu and Bolton’ 

Zarif also said that Iran has always been interested in ties with neighbors if they change their policies and stop interfering in other countries’ affairs.

“I hope that the members of B-team will be reduced and limited to Netanyahu and Bolton,” he said.

The B-Team includes U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed.

Zarif had previously warned that the B-Team could goad Trump into a war with Tehran.

NA/PA