BAGHDAD, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday said that Iraq will abide by the U.S. sanctions on Iran for the sake of protecting Iraq's interest.

But Abadi told a press conference after weekly cabinet meeting that Iraq in principle is against such "unjust" sanctions, which he described as "unjust."

"It is a matter of principle that we are against blockade and sanctions (against Iran), which will only destroy societies and won't weaken regimes," Abadi said.

"We are not sympathetic with the U.S. sanctions against Iran, but we will abide by them to protect the interest of our people," he added, citing that non-compliance with the U.S. sanctions will harm Iraqi interest.

On Tuesday, the U.S. reimposed the first round of economic sanctions on Iran, eased under the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, as result of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the deal in May.

The sanctions target Iran's trade in precious metals, transactions of U.S. dollars, as well as Iran's auto sector. The second round of U.S. sanctions will take effect in November to include a ban on Iranian oil exports and dealing with Iran's central bank.

Under the 2015 deal, the U.S. agreed to lift the crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's agreement to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow international inspectors access to its facilities.