The Trump administration's sanctions on Iran's supreme leader are the "permanent closure" to diplomatic negotiations with the troubled nation, an Iranian government official said Tuesday.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi aired his thoughts on Twitter in the wake of sanctions imposed on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials in Iran. President Donald Trump signed an order Monday authorizing the move.
"Imposing useless sanctions on Iran's Supreme Leader and the commander of Iran's diplomacy is the permanent closure of the path of diplomacy," Mousavi wrote.
"Trump's desperate administration is destroying the established international mechanisms for maintaining world peace and security."
The Trump administration is trying to maintain the diplomatic route when it comes to dealing with Iran, opting to use sanctions to get Iran to comply with international demands rather than military force.
Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons and has conducted several recent attacks on oil tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, Iran shot down a $130 million U.S. drone.
Trump said the U.S. was about to conduct a military strike on Iran after the drone shoot down but that he opted out of it at the last minute.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the U.S. sanctions "mentally retarded" in a speech.
"The White House actions mean it is mentally retarded," he said. "Tehran's strategic patience does not mean we have fear."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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