Iran has sharply criticized the United States over its latest round of illegal and unilateral sanctions, calling the coercive measures yet another sign of Washington’s longstanding and profound hostility toward the Iranian people.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei issued a statement on Saturday, denouncing the measures, which had been announced by the US Department of the Treasury and targeted dozens of individuals and companies that Washington alleges are linked to the Islamic Republic’s commercial and banking sectors.
The official condemned the move as politically motivated and baseless, describing the sanctions as “unlawful” and a violation of the international legal norms.
He said the bans were part of a broader, failed campaign of economic coercion aimed at exerting the US’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
“These sanctions are not only illegal and contrary to the international law, but they also serve as yet another indication of the deep and persistent hostility of the ruling regime in the United States towards the Iranian nation,” the spokesman said.
He added that the measures had been designed to increase pressure on ordinary Iranian citizens by depriving them of their basic human rights and economic opportunities.
“Such actions [however] will only strengthen the Iranian people’s resolve to defend their legitimate rights and national interests in the face of America’s excessive demands,” Baghaei stated.
The sanctions came despite the United States having engaged in Omani-mediated indirect talks with Iran since April.
The Islamic Republic has invariably asserted that the talks have to lead to tangible and effective removal of the illegal measures.
Tehran has, meanwhile, underlined that it would keep leveraging various alternatives towards bypassing the bans if Washington chose to retain and even intensify the measures instead of seeking recourse to negotiation.
