Rouhani says ‘childish’ of US to sanction Iran foreign minister Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of “childish behavior” on Thursday over Washington’s sanctioning of Iran’s foreign minister amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Washington has previously proposed unconditional talks with Tehran.

“They (Americans) are resorting to childish behavior… They were claiming every day ‘We want to talk, with no preconditions’ …and then they sanction the foreign minister,” Rouhani said in remarks carried live on state television. “This means they have lost the power of rational thought.”