New American sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme will have "no effect", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Friday.

Washington announced new sanctions on Thursday against the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran and its head Ali Akbar Salehi.

Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran, accused them of playing "a big role in Iran breaching its key nuclear commitments" and exceeding "the limits on its uranium stockpile and enrichment levels".

In a statement, Mousavi said "Mr Salehi is an eminent scientific and political figure" and sanctions against him showed the "despair" of the United States.

The sanctions would have "no impact on the progress of the peaceful nuclear programme of the Islamic republic of Iran," Mousavi added.

Salehi holds a doctorate of nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and was minister of foreign affairs from 2010 to 2013 before becoming Iran's atomic energy chief.

Since May 2019, Iran has progressively scaled back some commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, in response to Washington's 2018 unilateral withdrawal from the agreement and decision to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

The government of US President Donald Trump accuses Iran of attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, something Tehran denies.

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Despite pressure, US renews exemptions for Iran nuclear deal
Washington (AFP) Jan 30, 2020
The United States on Thursday extended exemptions to let an internationally backed nuclear deal with Iran go forward, even as it announced new sanctions to step up pressure. President Donald Trump in 2018 pulled out of the accord negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama, sending tensions soaring with Iran and leading Tehran to curb compliance, but European powers still back the deal. Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran, said that the United States would for another 60 days issue exemptions in ... read more