A former US secretary of state has acknowledged that sanctions against Iran are a nonstarter, adding that Iranians will find a way around them.

According to Press TV, in an exclusive interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ program, Colin Powell said he doesn’t think the newly-proposed UN sanctions regime against Iran will work.

He said: “The Iranians have been around for thousands of years trading and selling and getting around various constraints and whatnot.”

Powell added: And I’m sure that the Iranians have done their own planning and have their own counter-sanctions strategy.

He said he doesn’t believe the sanctions will push Tehran to give up its peaceful nuclear program