"Such methods will not help build confidence between the two countries." He said US sanctions "over the past 31 years... have only strengthened our people's will for independence." The US Senate voted on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Iran targeting its thirst for petrol imports in a bid to force Tehran to bow to global pressure to freeze its suspect nuclear programme.
The Senate bill aims to punish non-Iranian firms that do business in Iran's energy sector or help the Islamic republic produce or import refined products like petrol by blocking them from doing business in the US market.
Oil-rich Iran, which denies the West's charges that it seeks to develop nuclear weapons, lacks oil refining capability and relies on imports to satisfy 40 percent of its thirst for petrol. US senators have increasingly favoured unilateral sanctions as President Barack Obama's year-old offer of engagement has failed to get Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment programme, which can be a key step towards a nuclear arsenal.