DUBAI: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday new US sanctions were against the spirit of Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with world powers, but added he was not pessimistic about the talks continuing.

The United States on Friday penalised a number of Iranian and other foreign companies, banks and airlines for violating sanctions against Tehran largely tied to a decade-old dispute about its nuclear programme.

Washington said it was sending a signal that there should be no evasion of the sanctions while international talks continue on relaxing them if Iran agrees to curb its nuclear activities. Asked for his reaction to the US moves, Rouhani said at a news conference in Tehran: “They are in conflict with the spirit of talks. They are unconstructive in my opinion.”

In remarks quoted by the state news agency IRNA, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said such actions “put into question the seriousness, honesty and good faith of negotiations with the US”. However Rouhani also struck a more positive tone later in the news conference, suggesting there was hope of reaching a deal by the November 24 deadline.

Published in Dawn, August 31th, 2014