The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said the decision by the United States to impose further sanctions shows it is lying about wanting dialogue. Mr. Rouhani described US policy towards Tehran as one of desperation. Among those targeted by the new sanctions was the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Mr. Rouhani said he had only modest assets inside Iran. From the BBC Persian Service, here is Majid Afshar.

Yesterday, we heard from US officials that these sanctions could lead to the blocking of billions of dollars. But the question is where is this money and how are they planning to block them. But what is really important is that these sanctions are now pushing the Iranian officials further away from the negotiating table. What the US is trying to do through the maximum pressure policy is to get them to the negotiating table. What they don't realize apparently is that sanctions are gonna push them away.