The Trump administration Wednesday pulled the trigger on threatened sanctions against Iran’s well-known foreign minister, accusing Mohammad Javad Zarif of spreading propaganda and defending the persecution of his own people.

The move seems certain to increase U.S.-Iranian tensions at a time when the Trump administration is encountering resistance from Western allies on plans for a joint maritime mission to protect international shipping off Iran’s coastline in the Persian Gulf.

German news agency Dpa reported Wednesday that Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has definitively ruled out Berlin’s participation in the joint maritime mission for now, while France and Britain have expressed skepticism about signing on to the Pentagon proposal.

The latest U.S. sanctions target perhaps the best-known face of the Iranian regime on the world stage. Administration officials said Wednesday that for too long, Mr. Zarif, 59, a fluent English speaker and an architect of the 2015 international nuclear deal Mr. Trump repudiated last year, has been “indulged” as a reasonable actor in international diplomatic circles.

“Today, President Trump decided enough is enough,” a senior administration official said.

The administration reportedly was ready to sanction Mr. Zarif more than a month ago, but held off when the State Department, argued the move could cut off potential diplomatic options with Tehran. U.S. officials said the State Department will decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether Mr. Zarif is allowed to travel to the U.S. — chiefly to the United Nations in New York.

The White House declined to comment on whether Mr. Zarif would be directly affected by the move, but the Iranian diplomat responded quickly on Twitter that he had “no property or interests outside of Iran” and mocked the U.S. move.

“Is the truth really that painful?” he tweeted. “Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.”

White House officials said the “highly unusual” action flows from Mr. Trump’s executive order, issued in June, that allows sanctions on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and those who act on his behalf. It comes even though Mr. Trump gave a tacit green light to a recent meeting between Mr. Zarif and Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, to explore a diplomatic solution to recent soaring tensions.

The crackdown is the latest chapter in Mr. Trump’s decision to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran, reimposing tough sanctions after pulling out of the 2015 deal negotiated between Iran, the U.S. and five other major powers.

The sanctions come as the U.S. proposal for joint policing mission in the strategic Strait of Hormuz continues to meet with skepticism from key allies.

Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said last week that proposed Operation Sentinel is meant to “de-escalate” tensions after a series of incidents and threats to international tankers had led to fears of an imminent shooting war in the region.

U.S. Central Command said Operation Sentinel was designed to “enable nations to provide escort to their flagged vessels while taking advantage of the cooperation of participating nations.”

But the “cooperation of participating nations” is slow in coming.

“The German government is reluctant about the concrete U.S. proposal and has therefore not offered contribution, as the overall approach of our policy towards Iran differs significantly from the current U.S. approach,” said German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer.

Ms. Demmer said that Germany was interested in a European naval mission that does not include the U.S. and remained “in close coordination with France and Britain.” Berlin, Paris and London all continue to support the 2015 nuclear deal and have tried to find ways around harsh American secondary sanctions on companies doing business with Tehran.

Agence France-Presse reported that France “was not willing to send extra military assets to the Gulf, but would share information and coordinate its currently deployed assets.”

Heritage Foundation analyst Luke Coffey suggested the Trump administration would be wise to let the government of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson take the lead on the Gulf crisis.

“Securing the strait offers the first opportunity for the Trump administration to work with the government led by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson,” he said. “After all, it was a British ship that Iran recently commandeered, so London has a direct interest.”

While the U.S. waits for proposals and coalitions and international partners, Mr. Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. “will escort our ships to the degree the threat requires it.”

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