In a written statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kenani condemned the recent sanctions against his country by the UK and the EU.
Pointing to the large-scale demonstrations in France and the police intervention, Kenani stated that “the aim of the confrontational approach that Europe has taken against Iran in the recent period is the attempt to distract the public from the worsening economic and social crises and systematic rights violations in Europe”.
“Some European parties should act responsibly and humanely to the demands of people in their own regions, refraining from violent behavior and suppressing protesters, rather than interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” Kenani said.
Describing the latest EU and UK sanctions as “arbitrary” and “unlawful”, Kenani said that his country reserves the right to respond to such sanctions.
Britain and the EU, in their separate statements yesterday, announced that they had imposed sanctions on some high-level officials in Iran on the grounds of “human rights violations”.