New US sanctions bespeak ‘hostility’ to Iranian nation: FM spox
The spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly denounced new US sanctions targeting dozens of brokers, tanker operators, and shipping companies for their role in selling and transporting Iranian petroleum.
“Making decisions about economic and commercial interactions with countries is part of the legal right of nations to self-determination,” Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday night, adding that no party has the right to use political excuses to obstruct or disrupt their commercial and economic relations.
Baghaei further pointed out that the imposition of new sanctions by the US against Iran’s foreign trade is contrary to the principles of the United Nations Charter, especially “the principle of respect for national sovereignty and self-determination of nations,” as well as against international laws governing free trade among countries.
“Therefore, it is considered unjustified, illegitimate, and a violation of the human rights of the Iranian people,” he said, calling for international accountability of the US government.
The spokesperson pointed to assertions by some US officials about their willingness to engage in talks with Iran, describing the new sanctions as the strongest evidence of their insincerity and “hostility to the well-being, development, and happiness of the great Iranian people.”
“The Iranian nation — fully aware of the United States’ long history of hostile and interventionist policies as well as its repeated breaches of commitments toward Iran — will continue on its path toward progress, dignity, and independence,” Baghaei stated.
The US Treasury and the US State departments on Monday sanctioned a combined total of 22 persons — including the heads of Iran’s National Iranian Oil Co., and the Iranian Oil Terminals Co. — and identified 13 vessels as blocked property, across multiple jurisdictions, for their involvement in brokering the sale and transportation of Iranian oil.
This is the second round of sanctions imposed on Iranian oil sales since US President Donald Trump issued the so-called National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which seeks to bring Iran’s crude exports to zero.
Iran has long been subjected to Western sanctions over its nuclear activities and other pretexts.
The Trump administration has escalated these measures since taking office, reinstating the so-called maximum pressure policy, a campaign of hybrid warfare targeting Iran.