Iran dismisses new US sanctions, calls White House ‘retarded’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed new sanctions by the United States on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and described the White House as “mentally retarded”, an insult Iran has used in the past about President Donald Trump.

In a speech broadcast live on state television, Rouhani said sanctions against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would fail because he had no assets abroad. Rouhani described the latest round of sanctions as a sign of US desperation.

“The White House actions mean it is mentally retarded,” he said “Tehran’s strategic patience does not mean we have fear.”

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday, imposing financial sanctions on Khamenei and other Iranian officials. The targets of the new sanctions also include senior military figures in Iran, blocking their access to any financial assets under US jurisdiction.

The sanctions come days after Iran downed a US drone that it said had trespassed its airspace.

Trump pulled back from the brink of retaliatory strikes on Iran last week, but appears to be continuing to ratchet up his “maximum pressure” campaign