Iran censures US support for Israel’s crimes in Gaza, sanction regime as rights violation

In a statement issued on the 36th anniversary of the US downing of an Iranian passenger plane over the Persian Gulf, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said American officials, under the pretext of supporting human rights, have placed comprehensive pressure on and sanctioned countries that are not politically willing to act within the framework of US interests and desires.

All 290 passengers and crew on board the Iran Air Flight 655 were killed after it was shot by the US Navy ship Vincennes on July 3, 1988, in the Persian Gulf. 66 children under the age of 13 as well as 46 non-Iranians were among those killed in the terror incident which later saw the US government awarding the Vincennes’ commander a medal.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the US use of economic sanctions as a tool of pressure on countries that are politically independent and opposed to US international practices has continued for decades and is a clear violation of human rights at various levels while being contrary to international regulations and norms.

The statement also highlighted the U.S. all-out support for the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has so far killed nearly 38,000 Palestinians.