Iran calls new US sanctions 'economic terrorism, crimes against humanity'

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said those responsible for imposing the sanctions "deserve to be prosecuted and punished for committing such heinous crimes" | Photo: Bloomberg

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the United States' latest economic sanctions against Tehran, calling them "economic terrorism" and "crimes against humanity" while accusing the US of continuing a decades-long policy of hostility towards the Iranian people.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry said the new sanctions announced by the US were "another indication of the continuation of 73 years of hostility and animosity by US policymakers toward the Iranian people."

"The US ruling establishment has announced the imposition of sweeping economic and trade sanctions against the Iranian people, coinciding with the anniversary of the disgraceful coup d'etat of 28 Mordad 1332 (19 August 1953). This action is not only another indication of the continuation of 73 years of hostility and animosity by US policymakers toward the Iranian people, but also further demonstrates the anti-human, lawless and hegemonic nature of the US ruling establishment," the statement read.

"Undoubtedly, the US economic sanctions against Iran, which target the fundamental human rights of every Iranian citizen, constitute "economic terrorism" and "crimes against humanity"," the statement said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said those responsible for imposing the sanctions "deserve to be prosecuted and punished for committing such heinous crimes."

The ministry alleged that the sanctions were imposed following "US-Israeli wars of aggression against Iran over the past year and a half and their failure to achieve their malign objectives of forcing the Iranian people to surrender to their illegal and inhumane demands".

"These sanctions will merely add to the long list of crimes committed by the United States against Iran," it said, adding that the measures would not affect Iran's determination to protect its independence, dignity and national sovereignty.

"Economic sanctions and pressure are the other side of the same coin as war and military aggression," the ministry said, accusing the US of threatening global peace and security through its policies.

"America's pathological addiction to these two instruments has not only placed global peace and security under an objective threat, but has also subjected human civilization to an unprecedented moral decline," it said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry further stated that countries supporting the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, including respect for national sovereignty, should not remain indifferent to what it described as US violations of international norms.

"Accordingly, no government that believes in the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations--including the principle of respect for the national sovereignty of states--can remain indifferent to the continued lawlessness and overt belligerence of the United States toward fundamental international norms.