Iran's FM says new US sanctions show 'maximum failure'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Friday that the latest round of US sanctions against the Islamic republic show the "maximum failure" of Washington's anti-Iran policy. Washington extended its sanctions on Iran on Thursday by targeting its construction sector, which the US linked to the country's Revolutionary Guards.

"Subjecting construction workers to EconomicTerrorism only manifests maximum failure of 'maximum pressure'," Zarif tweeted. "Rather than dig itself deeper, US should abandon failed policies & return to JCPOA," Zarif added, referring to the formal title of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Iranian tensions with the United States have escalated sharply since US President Donald Trump last year withdrew from the nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral sanctions as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign. Tehran has hit back three times since May by suspending parts of its compliance with the nuclear deal.

It has threatened to go even further if remaining parties to the deal - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - cannot help it circumvent US sanctions. Iran is expected to unveil a fourth package of countermeasures on Monday.