The US Treasury Department has placed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, after threatening to do so for several months. Zarif is a vocal and public critic of American policy towards Iran.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Wednesday, after declining to blacklist the outspoken diplomat earlier this month. The move comes at a critical time for US-Iran relations, with Washington currently putting together a multinational maritime mission to protect shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf and combat “Iranian aggression.”

“Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday. “The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable.”

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