Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on new sanctions against Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif:

“Today’s decision by the administration to sanction Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is a mistake.

“I’ve known Foreign Minister Zarif for more than 15 years. While we’ve had our differences of opinion, he’s always been a capable diplomat.

“President Trump says he pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement to force Iran back to the negotiating table, but this move limits the opportunity to do exactly that. This doesn’t move us closer to peace, it further escalates an already tense situation.

“Rather than sanctioning the foreign minister for doing his job, we should engage him in serious diplomacy. The only way we’ll have a lasting diplomatic resolution with Iran is through talks, and sanctioning their top diplomat isn’t the way to accomplish that.”

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