Tehran pledges response to fresh EU, UK sanctions
TEHRAN: Iran vowed yesterday it will respond to new sanctions imposed by the European Union and Britain over its handling of months-long protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
The EU and Britain on Monday slapped another round of sanctions on Iran which has been rocked by protests since the Sept 16 death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code for women.
Iran’s warning of tit-for-tat measures comes after relations deteriorated sharply, with the EU and Britain ramping up sanctions over the authorities’ response to the protests.
“The move by the European Union and the British regime is a sign of their mental inability to properly understand the realities of Iran, as well as their confusion regarding the authority of the Islamic republic,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement yesterday.
He said Iran “reserves the right to reciprocate against such failed policies and will soon announce the list of new sanctions against human rights violators and promoters of terrorism in the European Union and England.”
The EU imposed its fourth round of sanctions against Tehran since the protests started, placing 37 more Iranian officials and entities on an asset freeze and visa ban blacklist.
Britain on the same day sanctioned five more Iranian officials, broadening its blacklist to 50 individuals and organisations it considers to be involved in dealing with the protests.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the new sanctions were a sign of EU and UK “desperation, frustration, and fury over their recent scandalous failure in creating instability in Iran despite huge efforts and costs”.