Tasnim – Leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement Seyed Ammar al-Hakim blasted the US government for blacklisting the office of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, whom he hailed as the spiritual leader of millions of world Muslims.

David Schenker, the Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs at the US State Department met with Ammar al-Hakim during a visit to Iraq, holding talks with the senior cleric on the political conditions in Iraq and the region.

In the meeting, Hakim reminded the US government that the policy of imposing political and economic sanctions against other nations will get nowhere.

He also decried the US decision to blacklist the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, saying Ayatollah Khamenei is not only the leader of a great government, but also the spiritual leader of millions of people all over the globe.

Hakim also told the American diplomat that the White House’s move against Ayatollah Khamenei has hurt the sentiments and feelings of his followers in the world and would by no means pave the way for the settlement of the crisis.

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order imposing additional, largely symbolic, sanctions against Ayatollah Khamenei and a number of ranking military commanders, with another sanctions against Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expected later this week.

The US sanctions were imposed after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force on July 20 shot down an American spy drone that had violated the Iranian airspace.

The costly intruding aircraft was brought down by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system Khordad 3rd.