Iran: US efforts to block Iran’s assets ’banditry’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the US attempts to block Iran’s assets in other countries is an example of "banditry" and stealing the assets of the Iranian nation.
Kanaani said that Tehran does not tolerate any US move, either directly or through third countries, to seize Iran’s assets.
“We expect all countries to ignore such demands from the US government and to adhere to their responsibilities regarding other countries”, Kanaani told a weekly press conference on Monday.
His comments came after the French Supreme Court rejected a US request to confiscate $247 million in Iranian assets.
On June 28, the French Court of Cassation upheld a March 2021 verdict by a court of appeal that refused the US call for confiscating Iranian assets as per a US federal court verdict in 1998.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he urged the US to refrain from any “provocative” moves in the region, especially close to the country’s borders, stressing that Tehran reserves the right to take “deterrent measures” under international law.
Kanaani said that the US government’s role regarding the issue of regional security has never been peaceful and constructive.
“Iran monitors with sensitivity and accuracy any illegal and unconstructive act that affects the security of the region, and it will … pay special attention to any provocative and illegal moves, especially near its borders,” he added.
Kanaani also warned that the Islamic Republic will use its “inalienable rights” in response to the US moves.
“Iran reserves the right to take due deterrent measures under international laws, rules, and regulations given the capability of its Armed Forces in protecting the security of borders, as well as that of navigation and aviation in the Persian Gulf region,” he said.
On Friday, a senior American defense official said the US will send F-16 fighter jets to the Persian Gulf region this weekend in a bid to “protect ships” from “Iranian seizures”.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the F-16s will give air cover to the ships moving through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and increase the US military’s visibility in the area, the Associated Press reported.