Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on sanctions against Iranian individuals including Supreme Leader Khamenei:

“Sanctioning Iran’s supreme leader and exchanging insults does nothing more than push a diplomatic resolution further out of reach. We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.

“Iran has already called the latest sanctions ‘the permanent closure of the doors of diplomacy.’ That’s not in anyone’s interest. We must do everything we can to return to the negotiating table.

“I urge the administration to halt this cycle of escalation, drop its unreasonable preconditions on talks with Iran and pursue real diplomacy. Absent a change, I’m concerned this will spiral into a conflict no one wants.”

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