Oct 25, 2017

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that US sanctions against Iran targeted the country's "malign behaviours" and were aimed at helping the Iranian people take control of their government.

Tillerson told a New Delhi press conference after talks with India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj that the United States would not block "legitimate" business activities with Iran by India or any other ally.

President Donald Trump's administration has taken a tougher line with Iran, threatening to tear up an international accord on its nuclear programme.

Tillerson said US actions also sought to limit Iran's other "destabilising activities" in the Middle East, including its ballistic missile development, "their export of arms to terrorist organisations" and involvement in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

"Our fight is not with the Iranian people. Our disagreements are with the revolutionary regime," Tillerson said.