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Economic sanctions are a powerful policy weapon but should not be wielded "frivolously," U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in an interview with Public Television, Reuters reports.

According to him, sanctions - blacklisting individuals and organizations, have become a favored tool for the United States, but the impact has to be weighed as carefully as those of military force, Lew said.

"We can't shy away from using sanctions because it will slow down growth, but we can't do it frivolously either," Lew said. "It's a serious step, and it's something that has to be guarded in order to have it in the future when you need it," the agency quotes him as saying.

U.S. sanctions have evolved over time from broad embargoes - such as the one imposed for decades on Cuba - to more targeted actions, he said, citing measures imposed on specific Russian industries in response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

"They're targeted at the centers of power, where the decisions are being made," Lew said.

"When you have an agreement that's predicated on 'Change your policy and get relief from the sanctions,' there has to be relief from the sanctions," Lew said. "Otherwise, no one will ever respond to a sanctions regime by changing their policy."