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 The measure, which President Barack Obama signed into law on
Friday, also applies to Iraq, Syria and Sudan, and was introduced as
a security measure following the Islamic State attacks in Paris and
similar attacks in San Bernardino.
Iran, a Shi'ite Muslim theocracy staunchly opposed to Sunni
radicalism, says its inclusion on the list is intended to undermine
a nuclear deal that Tehran reached with world powers, including the
United States, in July, known as the JCPOA.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said in a televised
news conference that the U.S. measure had been passed "under
pressure from the Zionist lobby and currents opposed to the JCPOA".
Citizens of 38 countries, most of them in Europe, are eligible for
waivers under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Under the new
restrictions, citizens who have visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan
in the last five years, and those who hold dual nationality with one
of those countries, are excluded.
 The measure was introduced after 130 people were killed in the
Islamic State attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. Several of the attackers
had European passports, and some had traveled to Islamic State's
territory in Syria.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday said it was
"absurd" that Iran should be included on the list.
"No Iranian nor anybody who visited Iran had anything to do with the
tragedies that have taken place in Paris or in San Bernardino or
anywhere else," he said in an interview with Middle East-focused
website Al Monitor. NUCLEAR FALLOUT
Iranian officials have said the measure will adversely affect
bilateral relations. Some suggest the measure is effectively a new
sanction against Iran that could jeopardize the nuclear deal, which
Iran only agreed to on condition of sanctions being lifted.
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"Existing sanctions not yet lifted, additional sanctions imposed,"
ran the front-page headline of the hardline daily Kayhan on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrote to Zarif on Saturday to
assure him that Washington remained committed to the JCPOA, noting
that the White House can waive the new requirements in individual
cases.
But Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's National Security
Council, which is responsible for ensuring the United States and
other powers abide by the deal, warned that the measures would drive
mistrust between the two countries.
"It could have irreversible effects on the implementation of mutual
commitments under the JCPOA," Shamkhani was quoted as saying by
state news agency IRNA.
(Reporting by Sam Wilkin, editing by Sami Aboudi and Richard
Balmforth)
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