Iran Blasts EU Sanctions

The Foreign Ministry of Iran issued an 11-article statement on Thursday in reaction to the latest sanctions which were imposed by EU’s foreign ministers on Monday.

What follows is the text of the statement:

“In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran is steadfast in defending and promoting human rights irrespective of the duplicitous and negative clichés which have been constructed as part of a campaign waged by some governments over the past decades with the aim of smearing the Islamic Republic. The rights of women and all Iranians have always been respected in Iran and the Islamic Republic is among the leading governments in many ways, such as women's access to education, equal rights for people and respect for human rights.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will never give in to the false agendas that are part of the political campaign aimed at putting maximum pressure on its sovereignty and on a growing nation which has been resisting two concurrent challenges: foreign isolation and the US’s economic warfare. Iran also condemns in the strongest terms this abuse of international processes and ceremonies, be it in the Human Rights Council or the statement of the Council of the European Union ministers.

Iran's police and security forces took action to control escalating violence during the riots while confronting some terrorist acts in line with highly accurate and specific rules which originate from clear laws and our religious and ideological teachings and are based on respect for human and individual rights. In spite of the violence and hate promoted and implemented against citizens by some individuals and organizations active in countries that claim to be defending human rights, Iranian security forces exercised restraint and gave many martyrs to control instability and restore law and order.

2. The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any instrumental and selective use of human rights, which has turned into a tool to advance the political interests of American and some European governments and it reminds those governments of their double and shameless standards in favor of their allies and also regarding the occupied Palestinian territories, which have witnessed some of the harshest human rights violations ever. The deafening silence of the self-proclaimed defenders of universality of human rights toward such crimes is a flagrant example of human rights being sacrificed to political interests. In that vein, these countries have no moral authority to preach others on respecting human rights. The findings of the UN special rapporteur show that these governments are violators of human rights due to their support for the US’s inhumane and illegal sanctions against the Iranian people, including women, youth, children, and ethnic and religious minorities, and they must be held accountable. While no fact-finding committee was formed to deal with the inhumane impact of these policies, in contract and in concert with the maximum pressure campaign against Iran, they are putting such committees in place and are making false accusations to isolate Iran. These are schemes whose hollowness is already clear.

3. While reminding the signatories of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (Resolution A/RES/60/288) and also the Declaration of Principles of International Law (Resolution A/RES/2625) of their commitments under the conventions, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares that Western governments are obliged to prevent the promotion of violence, hatred, terror, lawlessness and rioting by individuals and entities operating in their territory or under their jurisdiction. Therefore, if they cannot or do not want to fulfill their legal obligations under these conventions, then the Islamic Republic does not tolerate the individuals and entities which have been systematically promoting violence and terror and it will, without any tolerance, use its full national and international legal and judicial capacity to secure the Iranian nation’s rights.

4. During the negotiations aimed at full and effective resumption of implementing the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, Iran’s demands were always within the framework of the agreement and the Vienna talks. But the long list of gross violations by the European sides and the US during the implementation of the treaty forces Iran to be realistic about the future. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s aim is to sign a lasting agreement which would first of all guarantee its practical benefit from the sanctions removal, and secondly, it would not be easily violated under the influence of the internal politics of governments. The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to conclude the talks in line with the draft of the Vienna negotiations, which were the result of months of hard and intensive discussions. Now it is the western sides that are confused due to their adoption of unrealistic policies and miscalculations.

5. As a responsible member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency in accordance with its international obligations and the IAEA’s specialized and technical standing, and it is resolved to continue this cooperation. We also advise Western countries to avoid politicizing issues and to not spoil the atmosphere of technical cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.

6. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s fundamental policy on the Ukraine crisis is to support the country’s territorial integrity and to stress the need to end the conflict through political solutions. As Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed, we have not provided any side with any drones to be used in the Ukraine war. Iran's defense and arms cooperation with other countries have been fully in line with its international rights and commitments.

7. While reminding the governments of the United States of America, Britain and France of their legal and binding obligations under the "Arms Trade Treaty", the Islamic Republic of Iran underlines that in accordance with the treaty, the foregoing governments "knowingly" supplied the Saudi-led coalition with lethal arms to be used in the war against Yemen. According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, these weapons played a major role in attacks on civilians or civilian targets and in committing war crimes. Therefore, the US, Britain and France have been involved in possible war crimes by arming and supporting the coalition in the war on Yemen.

8. Iran is the bastion of security and stability in the region. It has never invaded its neighbors throughout history, although it has been invaded. Nevertheless, Iran’s consistent policy in the past few decades has proved that it will by no means give in to pressure, threats and sanctions and it makes good on promises it makes and also stands up against aggressors. Saddam's 8-year war on Iran, which had the full backing of some European and West Asian countries and the US, made it necessary for us to develop defense capabilities. This will never be negotiable. Europe must be held accountable for its role in destabilizing the region through continued export of sophisticated arms to the region, for its security tempering of the regional order, for forming coalitions to intimidate and pressure others, and for meddling in the internal affairs of countries under the pretext of creating greenhouse democracies that disrupt the coexistence of states.

9. The bitter experience of Daesh crimes continues to haunt people in West Asia. Despite the claims of the US and its allies, were it not for the role of Iran and the great champion of fighting against terrorism, General Qassem Soleimani, and for the efforts of the people of Iraq and Syria in the fight, containment and defeat of the Daesh terror, not only regional security and stability but also international peace and security would have been seriously affected.

10. We believe in inherent and inclusive security, stability and prosperity in the region. We have extended our hands in brotherhood to all our neighbors including West Asian countries. Iran’s cooperation with its neighbors has become wider and more diverse over the past year. Only with the participation of regional countries will sustainability, stability, security and inclusive prosperity be guaranteed. We will press ahead with our key policy of neighborliness with the aim of achieving collective security in the region, and unfounded allegations will not stop us from continuing down this path.

11. Hereby, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly protests against the EU’s move to impose unacceptable and baseless sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Tehran believes that interaction and dialog with the bloc and its members is only possible through respect, trust and mutual interests. Hence, we have left the door of interaction and dialog open. However, we will not hesitate to make our demands and criticisms. Naturally, if the Iranophobic propaganda does not stop, chances of promoting mutual interests will be adversely affected.