US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has vowed that Washington would "enforce the sanctions" it is reimposing against Iran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
As of 0401 GMT Tuesday, the Iran government can no longer buy US banknotes and broad sanctions will be slapped on Iranian industries, including its rug exports.
Asked on Sunday if Tehran would be able to evade the measures, Pompeo told journalists "the United States is going to enforce the sanctions," speaking en route to Washington after attending a security forum in Singapore.
Pompeo said heaping pressure on Tehran was meant to "push back against Iranian malign activity," saying Iranians "are unhappy with the failure of their own leadership to deliver the economic promises that their leadership promised them."
"The Iranian people are not happy, not with the Americans but with their own leadership," he said.
"This is just about Iranians' dissatisfaction with their own government, and the President is pretty clear, we want the Iranian people to have a strong voice in who their leadership will be."
The US walked out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May and is bringing back "maximum pressure" sanctions for most sectors on August 6, and the energy sector on November 4.
But the EU said Monday it “deeply regretted” the US reimposition of sanctions on Iran.
A statement by EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said it would work to keep "effective financial channels" open with Iran.
The EU said it would now swiftly bring in legal cover for firms in the 28-nation bloc to work with Iran, after the Trump administration rejected European calls for an exemption.
"We are determined to protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran," the statement added.
