TEHRAN - Abbasali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, has said that U.S. President Donald Trump has problems with the economic development in Iran.

Kadkhodaei’s comments came as the United States announced new round of sanctions on Iran, this time targeting Iran’s construction sector.

“Inefficiency of maximum pressure has once again make Trump to show his animosity and hatred by imposing new sanctions on construction sector. These sanctions have shown that Trump has problems with Iran’s development and construction, however, their failure will cause more depression for Trump,” Kadkhodaei tweeted on Saturday. 

The U.S. State Department issued a fact sheet on Thursday announcing imposition of sanctions on sale of software used for industrial purposes, raw and semi-finished metals, graphite and coal used in Iran's construction sector.

The State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had determined Iran’s construction sector was controlled directly or indirectly by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Press TV reported.

The State Department also announced a separate batch of sanctions against what it described as the sale of “strategic material” being used “in connection with Iran’s nuclear, military, or ballistic missile programs.”

The State Department listed the sanctioned material as “stainless steel 304L tubes, MN40 manganese brazing foil, MN70 manganese brazing foil, and stainless steel CrNi60WTi ESR + VAR.”

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on Friday that such moves show the “maximum failure of maximum pressure”.

“Subjecting construction workers to economic terrorism only manifests maximum failure of ‘maximum pressure’,” Zarif wrote.

Zarif added, “The U.S. can sanction every man, woman, and child but Iranians will never submit to bullying.”

The Iranian chief diplomat called on the Trump administration that instead of digging itself “deeper” in such actions, revise its “failed policies” and rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Rather than dig itself deeper, the U.S. should abandon failed policies and return to the JCPOA,” Zarif suggested.

NA/PA