Iran criticises EU shipping sanctions, denies sending missiles to Russia

Tehran says the European sanctions undermine Iranians’ cardinal rights by targeting airlines and shipping.

Tehran, Iran – Iran has condemned European sanctions connected its state-run shipping institution and different entities, saying they were based connected “fake claims” that it sent ballistic missiles to Russia for usage successful the Ukraine war.

“The actions of the European Union and the United Kingdom successful imposing sanctions against Iran nether this pretext are wholly unjustifiable and deficiency immoderate legitimacy, ineligible basis, oregon logical foundation,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

The EU and the UK connected Monday widened their punitive fiscal measures against Iran, targeting the usage of vessels and ports for “the transportation of Iranian-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), missiles and related technologies and components”.

The sanctions included freezing the assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL).

The Iranian spokesperson said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has admitted that nary Iranian ballistic missiles person been exported to Russia”.

Zelenskyy said successful precocious October that Iran has not yet delivered ballistic missiles to Russia, but is engaged successful “in-depth talks” astir imaginable deliveries.

He besides said Iran has already licensed the accumulation of explosives-laden Shahed drones connected Russian territory, a complaint Tehran denies.

If delivered, the Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles could perchance beryllium deployed connected the Ukrainian beforehand lines and assistance Russia amended negociate its violative connected Ukrainian soil.

Baghaei said the sanctions, including those past period that cut disconnected Iranian airlines from Europe, impact the “fundamental rights and interests of Iranians”.

The designations tally antagonistic to commitments nether Iran’s 2015 atomic woody with satellite powers that the United States unilaterally abandoned successful 2018, the spokesperson said.

Rafael Grossi, the caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who was successful Tehran to clasp high-level talks including with President Masoud Pezeshkian, had past week described the atomic woody arsenic “an bare shell”.

Meanwhile, tensions betwixt Iran and the West proceed to emergence arsenic Tehran says it volition motorboat a 3rd large onslaught against Israel successful retaliation for Israeli aerial strikes connected Iran successful October.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a gathering of subject commanders and unit that what prevents warfare is being prepared for warfare with afloat strength.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with subject commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a ceremonial connected November 18, 2024 [Handout: Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

“The enemies who marque threats are waiting for weakness from the different side, if they spot immoderate weakness they volition instrumentality advantage. So it is imperative to basal beardown during times of war,” Araghchi said successful a code posted connected his Telegram transmission connected Tuesday.

On Monday night, Mohammad Javad Zarif, an advisor to the president, released a video successful English to straight code Jewish radical astir the globe.

“Standing connected the incorrect broadside of history, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his regime, on with Israel’s Western enablers, person unleashed a machinery of decease and demolition successful the region, causing carnage and crimes against humanity successful a genocidal run that murdered implicit 50,000 civilians, including implicit 10,000 children,” the erstwhile main diplomat said.