UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that a letter by Iran, which asks the United Nations for pushback against the U.S. sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad “is being circulated to the Security Council”.

He added the UN chief calls on all parties to avoid any actions that would escalate an already very tense situation, according to Xinhua.

In separate statements on July 31, the U.S. Treasury and State Department announced imposition of sanctions against Zarif, a move which was interpreted as a total rejection of diplomacy repeatedly claimed by the Trump administration.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the Iranian foreign minister is more “popular” and “powerful” than ever.

“You have been mistaken if you sanctioned our foreign minister to cause division (among Iranians),” he said.

Foreign minister is the “representative of the entire Iranian nation and not a group or faction,” the president remarked.

Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday protesting the U.S. sanctions on Zarif, saying that this move signifies a “gross violation” of the UN Charter.

“Ironically, the officials of the current administration of the United States have claimed that the illegal sanctions have been imposed due to the role and position of our Foreign Minister, who is the responsible authority for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Infatuated with rogue, unreasonable conducts at the international level, this well signifies that the U.S. regime despises diplomacy, which is one of the greatest achievements of humanity to preserve and uphold peace and security among nations. It reveals the deeply-rooted hypocrisy of the United States’ authorities in their different but paradoxical claims,” he said.

He added, “Although the unlawful move is claimed to target Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, considering the official and shameless claims of the U.S. administration, this illegal restriction is part of its overall policy in waging economic terrorism against the Iranian people and bringing pressure to bear on their representatives.”

NA/PA