Iran: Sanctions ‘backbone of American human rights laws'

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kan’ani has censured the new round of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying the bans are the “backbone” of the so-called American human rights regulations.

According to Press TV, he made the remarks in a post on his Instagram account on Friday, after the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven Iranian officials over what it claimed to be the shutdown of internet access and the crackdown on protesters.

“Every day, a new list of sanctions against Iran is published under some pretext. This time, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Communications and five other Iranian officials were sanctioned by the US government,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“Of course, before this seven-member list of Iranian ministers and figures, each and every Iranian individual was subjected hundreds of times to the most unprecedented sanctions in history against a nation by the American regime,” he added.

“The whole Iranian people, without any distinction and discrimination, have been struggling for many years with the brutal sanctions of the United States, which have targeted their livelihood, jobs, health and normal life,” Kan’ani said, as Iran has since 2018 been under draconian sanctions by the US and its European allies after Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“Even EB children were not exempted from the unilateral, illegal and cruel US sanctions. Sanctions are the backbone of American human rights,” he noted, referring to children suffering from a rare skin condition known as epidermolysis bullosa (EB).

‘Other Iranian diplomatic missions also attacked in Europe’

In another development on Friday, Kan’ani said in a thread of tweets that there have recently been other assaults on the Iranian diplomatic missions in Europe similar to the attack on the Islamic Republic’s embassy and ambassador in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

Underlining the link between the attackers on Iranian diplomatic buildings and Western support for the rioters in Iran, Kan’ani called on the hosting governments to adhere to their legal obligation and take “immediate” measures to protect the Iranian missions.

“Today, in a grave security accident in our embassy in Copenhagen, an assailant tried & fortunately failed to stab our ambassador, who happens to be a woman. This assault on our diplomatic mission was the latest of recent violent & unlawful acts against Iran in Europe,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“Recently there were similar violent attacks on our diplo missions in Europe. The link btwn such assaults & West's political support for rioters is undeniable. The hosting govs have a legal obligation to take sufficient security measures. They're expected to do so immediately,” he added.

SS