U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Photo: U.S. Department of State.

Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, on Wednesday said the U.S. has been “humiliated” by the Islamic Republic, semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

In Tehran, Jazayeri said, “The U.S. which has been badly humiliated by the Islamic Republic of Iran attempts to pressure Iran through a game of psychological warfare and propaganda… Similar to its other actions and interpretations during the past 35 years, the U.S. is making a strategic mistake again.”

“Generally speaking, Iran is out of the stage which could be humiliated by the major powers, and the U.S. will soon witness its mistakes with regard to the Islamic Republic,” he said.

According to Fars, the Brigadier General was referring to the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision in mid-December to tighten existing sanctions. The move came less than a month after Iran had agreed to pursue a framework agreement with world powers.

The talks, between the Islamic Republic and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States — plus Germany, so far have seen the lifting of many of the economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for it agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear program. But critics of the deal, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the agreement will not impact Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons, the regime’s ultimate goal since coming to power in 1979.

On Tuesday, negotiations with Iran resumed in Vienna.