Iran Press/Iran news: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei expressed Tehran's discontent during a press briefing on Tuesday, just a day after the European Commission announced sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), its director Mohammad Reza Khiabani, and several other individuals and entities. On the same day, the UK declared an asset freeze on IRISL and Iran’s national airline, Iran Air.
The sanctions are tied to allegations that IRISL and Iran Air are being used to supply drones, ballistic missiles, and related technologies to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Tehran has consistently denied these accusations.
"While Ukraine's president [Volodymyr Zelensky] himself has admitted that no Iranian ballistic missiles have been supplied to Russia, the EU and UK’s decision to impose sanctions on Iran under this pretext is entirely unjustifiable and lacks legitimacy, legal basis, or logical foundation," Baghaei stated, reiterating Iran's rejection of the claims.
This latest round of sanctions follows earlier measures taken by the EU over similar allegations, which Iran has dismissed as baseless.
Baghaei further said the EU and UK are violating international norms, emphasizing that these sanctions disproportionately harm ordinary Iranians. "The sanctions targeting Iranian airlines and now the shipping sector, which affect the fundamental rights and interests of the Iranian people, are clear examples of systematic human rights violations. They entail international responsibility for those who orchestrated and implemented these measures," he said.
The Iranian government has called for the international community to hold the EU and UK accountable for punitive actions that contravene principles of justice and fairness.
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