The United States has decided not to impose sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for now, two sources familiar with the matter said.
"Cooler heads prevailed," Reuters cited one of the sources as saying. "We ... saw it as not necessarily helpful," said one source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had opposed designating Zarif "for the time being."
Asked why Zarif had yet to be sanctioned, a Treasury spokesman referred to a comment by a senior Trump administration official who told reporters: "We’re obviously exploring our various avenues for additional sanctions against Tehran. Obviously, Foreign Minister Zarif is a figure of key interest and we’ll update you ... as we have more information."
On June 24, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Zarif would be blacklisted that week. Mnuchin did not say what sanctions would hit Zarif.
