Iran Hits Back at EU for Fresh Sanctions

In a statement on Friday night, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the European Union’s move to impose new sanctions on a couple of Iranian officials and institutions.

He said the EU has been passive and ineffective in dealing with the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and Palestine for the past months and has been criticized by European public opinion and people around the world over the issue, the Ministry’s website reported.

Instead of focusing on the war crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza and punishing and sanctioning this murderous regime, the EU has once again placed sanctions on a number of Iranian officials and institutions that play a leading and effective role in dealing with terrorism and ensuring lasting security in the region, the spokesman said.

Kanaani said it is regrettable that the EU, by insisting on repeated, absurd and baseless excuses and accusations and ignoring the realities on the ground in West Asia as part of its use of a failed and ineffective approach, once again resorted to the outdated and ineffective tool of sanctions against Iran and preferred the interests of the Zionist regime and the United States over those of the European Union and European nations.

He then stressed the need for the continuation of the principled policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially its policy of ensuring regional and international peace and security.

Kanaani finally criticized the double standards of the European Union, saying Iran reserves the right to respond to this destructive approach adopted by the bloc.

The Council of the European Union on May 31 adopted restrictive measures against six individuals and three entities from Iran, including Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, accusing them of involvement in what it called the transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia.