Trump hasn’t ‘discussed’ joint G7 message to Iran: Tehran blacklists US-based think-tank

TEHRAN: Iran has blacklisted US-based think-tank the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and its chief Mark Dubowitz on accusations of being behind "economic terrorism" against the Islamic republic.

The Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement issued late on Saturday that it had "added the so-called Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) and its director to the sanctions list".

"The American institution with the deceitful name" and Dubowitz were accused of being involved in "designing, imposing and intensifying the impacts of economic terrorism against Iran", it said.

The FDD and Dubowitz were blamed for "seriously and actively trying to harm the Iranian people’s security and vital interests", according to the English-language statement posted on the ministry’s website.

They were accused of doing so through "fabricating and spreading lies, encouraging, providing consultations, lobbying, and launching a smear campaign" against Iran. As a result, they would be "subject to legal consequences", it said.

The move would be "without prejudice to any further legal measures that the other administrative, judicial or security institutions and organisations may take" against them and their "collaborators and accomplices".

The FDD describes itself as a Washington-based "non-partisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy". The think-tank responded to Tehran’s move with a statement saying: "FDD considers its inclusion on any list put out by the regime as a badge of honour and looks forward to the day when Americans and others can visit a free and democratic Iran".

It strongly opposed the 2015 deal that saw world powers lift sanctions against Iran in return for limits on its nuclear programme. Tensions between arch-foes Iran and the United States have escalated since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the accord last year and began reimposing sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday denied signing off on a joint G7 message to Iran over its nuclear programme as announced by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. "No I haven’t discussed that," Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the southwestern French resort of Biarritz.

This contradicted Macron who shortly beforehand had said the G7 countries "agreed on what to say to Iran". Trump said: "We’ll do our own outreach. But you can’t stop people from talking. If they want to talk, they can talk."

A landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran all but collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew US support last year, reimposing sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.

Macron has been leading efforts to defuse the crisis by finding ways of resuming dialogue, meeting Iran’s top diplomat Mohammed Javad Zarif for rare talks in Paris on Friday on the eve of the summit.

He has also held telephone talks with President Hassan Rouhani On Sunday, a diplomatic source said G7 leaders had mutually agreed to task Macron with sending a message to Iran. "Emmanuel Macron was mandated to talk with Iran and address a message" to the country to avoid an escalation in the region, said the source.