Iran Condemns EU Sanctions, Vows Retaliation

In a statement on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani slammed the fresh EU sanctions as a violation of international law and a clear example of interference in the internal affairs of Iran.

“It is deeply regrettable that certain political motivations as well as relying on baseless, distorted information and fabricated claims by the enemies of the Iranian nation and the well-known media affiliated with them are the basis of such a wrong and unconstructive decision,” the spokesman deplored.

Kanaani described the decision by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union as an indication of the continuation of a biased approach and exploitation of human rights as a tool to achieve political goals, saying it is “fundamentally rejected, ineffective and invalid.”

“The great nation of Iran already considers the European Union and its members as the great violators of human rights due to their inaction and cooperation regarding the illegal maximum sanctions of the United States,” he stated, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

Rejecting the accusations levelled against Iranian individuals and institutions, Kanaani added, “In response to today’s action by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union, reciprocal sanctions will soon be imposed and announced against relevant European individuals and institutions.”

The statement came after an EU foreign ministerial session decided to levy sanctions against 11 Iranian individuals and four entities over the country's response to the riots that followed the death of a young Iranian woman in police custody.

The sanctions targeted a section of Iran’s police, the Basij volunteer forces and the cyber division of the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The bloc also listed Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Issa Zarepour for the internet shutdown. The coercive measures include travel bans and asset freezes.