Publish Date: 15 October 2024 - 02:25

Tehran, IRNA – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned the European Union and Britain for imposing new sanctions on a number of Iranian individuals and entities based on “false and baseless pretexts”.

Esmaeil Baghaei, while rejecting the western allegations related to the sale of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia, said on Monday night that his country’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine is clear and principled as Tehran has always called on all countries to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as a diplomatic solution to differences between Russia and Ukraine.

Unfortunately, some European countries continue to claim Iran's military intervention in the Ukraine conflict without providing documents, Baghaei said, calling the European Union and the UK's accusations "fraudulent and an attempt to divert public opinion from the most important issue of genocide of the Palestinian people and the Zionist regime's warmongering in the West Asian region".

The spokesman also referred to the role of some European countries, including Britain and Germany in providing lethal weapons used by the Zionist regime for genocide and aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.

These European countries as partners in the crimes committed against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, he said and reminded that their arming of the Zionist regime not only violated international law but was contrary to the Convention on the Prohibition of Genocide.

He also emphasized Iran's inalienable right to have defense and military cooperation with other countries, including Russia, in order to meet the country’s defense needs and protect its national security.  

On Sunday, the EU approved new sanctions against three Iranian airlines, including Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines alleging them of transferring Iranian-made missiles and drones to Russia. The bloc, in a statement also adopted restrictive measures against seven individuals and several other entities under similar pretexts

The British government also imposed new sanctions on several Iranian military officials and organizations in response to Iran's legitimate reaction to the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime. The new sanctions on Monday targeted senior Iranian military figures and organizations under the pretext of conducting Operation True Promise 2.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and British Foreign Minister David Lammy in a joint statement once again condemned Iran for its interference in the Ukraine conflict and Iran's legitimate response to the the Zionist regime’s aggression, and claimed that they are committed to sanctioning Iran.

According to IRNA, the statement was published on Tuesday morning after the meeting of the two sides on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union in Luxembourg,.

Baghaei called the anti-Iran measures “unjustified and contrary to international law” and described the actions of the EU and the UK as contradictory and incompatible with their claims of human rights defenders.

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