Iranian officials are dismissing a new U.S. law that imposes sanctions on companies or foreign nations that help Iran make nuclear weapons.
Iran's state media quote a foreign ministry spokesman (Mohammad Ali Hosseini) as saying that U.S. economic sanctions in recent years have not worked. He said the new law will damage U.S. interests and further isolate Washington.
On Saturday, President Bush signed the Iran Freedom Support Act. The law extends current sanctions against Iran and gives Mr. Bush the flexibility to impose new sanctions against those aiding Iran's development of nuclear weapons.
The United States and some other nations want Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, which they believe is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.