Iran has condemned the European Union’s recent move to make accusations and impose new sanctions against the country as an “illegal, destructive, and unjustified” attempt meant to deflect public attention from the 27-nation bloc’s own sponsorship for terrorism.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks on Thursday, two days after the European Council slapped restrictive measures on eight persons and one entity, alleging that they are responsible for committing rights abuses on behalf of the Iranian government outside its borders.
Baghaei said the Council’s claim about Tehran’s support for terrorist acts in Europe are “ridiculous and baseless,” noting that some European governments insist on making anti-Iran accusations and spreading lies about the country as part of a blatant blame game aimed at diverting domestic and international attention from their own systematic support for terrorism, as well as Israel’s crimes in Gaza and the entire West Asia region.
“The EU and some of its member states criticize and sanction Iran under false pretexts, while they remain silent about the Zionist regime’s military aggression against Iran and the killing of Iranian citizens, and even seek to justify and support it (the Israeli assault),” he added.
The spokesman also denounced the European Union’s decision to impose sanctions on Iranian citizens based on unfounded claims as an arbitrary move that contradicts fundamental human rights norms and principles.
The European governments proposing and supporting the anti-Iran sanctions bear responsibility for the consequences of their measures, he said.
The EU has levied multiple sanctions on Iran on several occasions under the pretext of human rights violations and over the country’s nuclear activities.
Those designated face EU-wide asset freezes and travel bans. EU individuals and entities are also prohibited from making funds or resources available to those sanctioned.
