U.S. reimposes tough curbs on Iran, Tehran hits at "bullying"

FILE PHOTO: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States imposed strict sanctions targeting Iran's oil, banking and industrial sectors on Monday and threatened more action to stop Tehran from pursuing "outlaw" policies, steps the Islamic Republic condemned as economic warfare and vowed to defy.

The measures are part of a wider effort by U.S. President Donald Trump to curb Tehran's missile and nuclear programs and diminish the Islamic Republic's influence in the Middle East, notably its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.