Tehran has denounced Washington for refusing to lift sanctions, blocking access to its frozen funds in South Korean banks. 

Iran’s official IRNA news agency on Thursday said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had lodged the criticism against the U.S. 

In a Twitter post, Zarif noted that while Washington claims it favors diplomacy and not former President Donald Trump’s policy of "maximum pressure", Secretary Blinken was "[boasting] about blocking Korea from transferring [Iran's] own money to the Swiss Channel." 

Suggesting the funds were earmarked for food and medication, the Iranian foreign minister warned that repeating the same approach would not yield new results for the U.S. 

The Iranian official's comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Washington had no plans to provide sanctions relief in order to greenlight the transfer of Iranian oil money from South Korean banks until Tehran complies with its obligations under the nuclear deal. 

According to previous reports, the governments of South Korea and the U.S. had discussed wiring the funds worth some seven billion dollars to Switzerland, from where it can be sent back to the Middle Eastern country via the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement(SHTA).

A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official told reporters last month that the U.S. has in effect agreed to the plan, but added further discussions remain on the method of transfer.