US seeking to cover failure in keeping Iran sanctions in place

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham blasted the US officials for their new sanctions threats against Tehran, and said such remarks are meant to cover up Washington’s failure in preventing the collapse of sanctions structure. “We think that based on the negotiations (held between Iran and the world powers) and the Joint Plan of Action (agreed by them) the structure of sanctions has cracked and its collapse has started,” Afkham told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday. She referred to some news reports saying that 90% of the way for approving the US Congress’s new sanctions against Iran have been paved, and said, “Mentioning percentage in this regard is an effort to poison the atmosphere and create a psychological atmosphere around different issues.” Afkham expressed the hope that sanctions would be removed in their entirety during the path due to be paved by Tehran and the world powers towards a full settlement of nuclear differences, and before taking the final step. Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) reached a final deal on November 24 after days of difficult and intensive negotiations and a decade-long nuclear standoff. The deal includes removal of a part of the US-led West's sanctions against Iran's crude supplies, petrochemical exports and part of the banking operations, including the pay-back of Iran's crude export revenues. According to the deal, no further sanctions will be imposed against Iran. Iran’s crude sales will be maintained at the current level and Iran’s oil revenues will also be released. Sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical sector will be completely removed and the sanctions on the country’s auto industry will also be lifted. Sanctions on imports and exports of gold and precious metals, as well as the ban on the insurance of transportation and shipping services will be fully lifted as well.