Foreign Minister Zarif stated that “the U.S. has exacerbated tension in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere. Freedom of navigation is a global responsibility and the U.S. is committing piracy, in Gibraltar, with the help of some of its friends elsewhere”. He went on to say that “we are engaged in a war. It’s an economic war that the U.S. has imposed on Iran… I believe the U.S. should be pressured by the rest of the international community to abandon its policy of pressure and intimidation. It won’t work”.