Iran condemns new US sanctions targeting oil shipments to China

Iran has condemned Washington's move to impose shipping-related sanctions, saying it would prevent it from legitimate trading with partners, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The US Treasury said on Thursday it was imposing new sanctions on a few individuals and tankers helping to ship millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil per year to China.

They were the first US sanctions on Iran's oil after US President Donald Trump this week vowed to bring Iran's crude exports to zero, part of efforts to curb the country’s nuclear capabilities.

"The decision of the new US administration to exert pressure on the Iranian people by preventing Iran from conducting legitimate trade with its economic partners is an illegitimate and unlawful action," IRNA quoted Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Friday.

Iran, he said, "holds the United States responsible for the consequences and repercussions of such unilateral and bullying actions."

Under the tough policy of sanctions during Trump's first term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal that had imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Tehran adhered to the deal -- known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments.

Efforts to revive the 2015 deal have since faltered.

Trump on Wednesday called for a "verified nuclear peace agreement" with Iran, adding that it "cannot have a Nuclear Weapon".

Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.