America News Agency

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei responded to remarks by the US Treasury Secretary about "strangling" Iran with economic sanctions.

Baqaei argued that the US policy of relying on sanctions has become a method used when diplomacy cannot be pursued. He said that when Washington's sanctions fail to produce results, it intensifies the same policy further, arguing that this approach is no longer a policy but has become a "habit".

Baqaei argued that the US sanctions policy has taken the place of thinking, noting that Iran has not backed down in the face of similar economic pressure imposed for decades.

Baqaei claimed that US politicians' continued pursuit of sanctions could, rather than putting Iran under economic pressure, also jeopardize Washington's chances of emerging from the crisis it created with less damage to its reputation.