Iran Denounces New US Bans on Cuba

“The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects the new [US] restrictions against Cuba, and does believe that the world experience has proven sanctions are ineffective as a tool to exert pressure on independent nations in order to undermine their determination,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

In a Farsi interview with IRNA, he said Washington has a dark record of imposing such sanctions on independent peoples.

“The Cuban people’s resistance and resolve over the past five decades have rendered ineffective all policies and measures adopted by the US to bully as well as impose sanctions and exert pressure on this country,” the spokesman said.

He said it is surprising that American politicians have not yet learned a lesson from past experience and continue to pursue their futile, wrong and useless policies and insist on ignoring the independence of nations, showing off their policy of bullying to the international community more than ever.

Qassemi condemned and expressed regret over Washington’s move against Cuba, and added Iran follows a policy of backing independent nations around the world.

US President Donald Trump on Friday that the US would impose new limits on US travelers to Cuba and ban any payments to the military-linked conglomerate that controls much of the island’s tourism industry.

He said the US would consider lifting those and other restrictions only after Cuba returned fugitives and made a series of other internal changes including freeing political prisoners, allowing freedom of assembly and holding free elections.