Iran Blasts US’ New Sanctions as Insult to Int’l Law

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi says the new US sanctions imposed on several Iranian firms are an insult to international law, and result from the US government’s blind hatred towards Iran.

Reacting to an announcement by the US Treasury Department which adds new Iranian companies to the US sanctions list, Qassemi said this is part of the US’ psychological war against Iran that will lead to nowhere.

“Unlike the insincere claims by the US that it supports the Iranian people, such measures create obstacles for Iranians to benefit from foreign economic relations and trade ties with the international community and threaten their interests in a cruel and unfair manner,” he noted, stressing that the new bans are against international law and human rights.

“We believe this move is a clear insult to legal and international mechanisms, and results from selfishness and blind hatred of the US government towards the Iranian nation,” he said.

Pointing to a provisional order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which asks the US to refrain from taking measures that escalate tensions and make it more difficult to settle the Iran-US conflict, Qassemi said Washington is ridiculing international law.

“The behaviour and approach taken by the US government and its failure to comply with international legal mechanisms and principles not only threaten the Iranian people’s interests but also put global stability and security in danger,” he said.

“This is while the Islamic Republic and the international community are working with goodwill to prepare the grounds for Iran to reap the benefits of the 2015 nuclear deal following the US withdrawal,” he said.

On Tuesday, the US imposed financial sanctions against 22 corporations and banks, notably the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Co., the region’s largest tractor manufacturer, and Mobarakeh Steel Company, the region’s biggest steel producer.

The Treasury Department claimed the firms were involved in providing financial support to Iran’s Basij [voluntary] forces and are complicit in recruiting children as soldiers.

The sanctions came at a time when the US is working to choke off Iran’s economy.

The country is reinstating anti-Iran sanctions suspended under the accord and pushing the world to cut trade with Iran.

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