In a post on his Instagram page, Kazem Gharibabadi said Europe shoulders a heavy responsibility with regards to the United States’ fresh sanctions on a number of Iranian banks.
“Europe should not simply settle for expressing regret over such destructive moves by the US,” he said.
He added if Europe’s claim of advocating human rights is true -a claim about which there are serious doubts– then it should take action.
“Europe has a heavy responsibility, both in terms of countering the United States’ anti-human rights moves… and with regards to making good on its commitments under the JCPOA,” he added, the government’s official website reported.
He said the US, on the one hand, claims it has not slapped sanctions on the delivery of food and drug imports to Iran, but, on the other, blocks financial channels available to pay for those imports.
“By now, everyone must have become aware of this dirty US game,” he said.
The top diplomat said the US has a dark record when it comes to human rights as it has jeopardized the lives of ordinary people through economic terrorism.
“US officials have acknowledged that they will press ahead with their ‘maximum pressure’ policy vis-à-vis Iran to bring the country to the negotiating table with features of their own choice. The US must have realized by now that this strategy is a non-starter in Iran,” he said.
Gharibabadi noted that Iran will do whatever it can to counter US moves and cushion the blow from its sanctions.
He dismissed as a “crime against humanity” Washington’s unilateral and illegal sanctions, of whatever type and at whatever stage.
“All domestic, political, international and legal potentialities should be utilized to counter these crimes,” Gharibabadi said.