Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on Monday vowed “proportional reaction” to the new US sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals. Larijani, who is also among the individuals sanctioned, said that the sanctions against the judiciary chief of a country is “crossing all international red lines,” the Tasnim news agency reported. Larijani said that Iran would not remain silent on such measures. But he did not disclose what Iran’s response will be. “The US should know that every hostile action will draw proportional reaction from Iran,” he said, adding that he does not care about the US sanctions against him.

On Friday, while US President Donald Trump agreed to extend the waivers for sanctions on Iran, the US Department of Treasury imposed new sanctions on 14 Iranian individuals and entities over Iran’s alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile programme. Larijani said that the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), could by no means be changed or linked to other issues.

Under the nuclear deal, signed by Iran with six major powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapons development program in exchange for the lifting of the nuclear-related sanctions. The US President has to decide whether to continue the waivers for the sanctions on Iran every 120 days.

Trump on Friday said he decided to extend sanctions waivers on Iran for the last time, threatening to withdraw from the pact unless US Congress and European allies can fix the alleged “disastrous flaws”. Calling it “a last chance,” Trump said the US “will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal.” </s> Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country has lodged a complaint against the US government at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over new American sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In a message in his Twitter account, Zarif said Iran has on Monday filed a complaint at the ICJ “to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions.”

“Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating int’l law,” the top Iranian diplomat added.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that was reached in 2015 after two years of talks. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

In comments in July 2017, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on Iran’s Judiciary to legally pursue international issues and declare its stances on various subjects, such as sanctions or the US freeze on Iran’s assets.

“The Judiciary should act through a legal position on issues such as sanctions, American confiscations (of Iran’s assets), terrorism, or support for the world’s oppressed characters like (Nigerian cleric) Sheikh Zakzaky or support for Muslims in Myanmar and Kashmir,” Ayatollah Khamenei had said in a meeting with Judiciary officials. </s> But he coupled that announcement with new sanctions on 14 Iranian individuals and entities -- among them Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, head of Iran's judiciary.

In a statement Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the Trump administration's "hostile and illegal act" in including Larijani in its sanctions list "has gone way beyond all internationally accepted behavior red lines."

"Iran's response will be severe and all consequences of this hostile act will be the responsibility of the United States," it said.

Many of those sanctions -- including one targeted at Larijani -- were in response to the Iranian government's crackdown on peaceful protests that have swept the country in recent weeks. Others were linked to support for the country's ballistic missile program. These areas fall outside the scope of the nuclear deal. Protests die down, but the anger in Iran won't go away Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, tweeted Friday that the United States "must bring itself into full compliance -- just like Iran," in reference to the 2015 nuclear deal agreed between Iran and world powers, including Russia. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow has a "very negative stance" on the decisions and comments made by Trump about Iran, according to state news agency Sputnik. "Our worst expectations are coming true," Ryabkov said Saturday. The prospect of a US withdrawal from the Iran deal "will deliver a very serious blow to the whole system of international agreements and to the enhancing of the nuclear nonproliferation regime," he added. The sanctioning of Larijani, the most prominent of the US targets, could have "serious political impact inside Iran," a senior Trump administration official predicted Friday. Senior administration officials said Larijani has overseen the sentencing and execution of juveniles in Tehran. Iranian students protest at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems on December 30. The US sanctions also targeted two other Iranian officials whom the administration said are responsible for ordering abuses against citizens, including the denial of medical care and access to legal representation for protesters in Iranian jails. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization were each labeled for acting on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. The Treasury Department also designated two Iranian defense industry firms that provide key maintenance and overhaul services for the military's helicopter and aircraft. "The United States will not stand by while the Iranian regime continues to engage in human rights abuses and injustice," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. "We are also targeting Iran's ballistic missile program and destabilizing activities, which it continues to prioritize over the economic well-being of the Iranian people." </s> DUBAI - Iran said on Saturday it would retaliate against sanctions imposed on its judiciary head by the United States as President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to 'fix' a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.



Trump said on Friday he would waive nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time to give Washington and its European allies a chance to fix the "terrible flaws" of the 2015 nuclear deal.



Washington also announced sanctions against 14 entities and people, including the head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.



"The Trump regime's hostile action (against Larijani)... crossed all red lines of conduct in the international community and is a violation of international law and will surely be answered by a serious reaction of the Islamic Republic," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media.



On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on that Trump's decision undermined the multilateral agreement.
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the January 12 U.S. sanctions on Chief Justice Sadeq Amoli-Larijani are "beyond all [...] red lines."