In a post on his X account on Saturday night, Esmaeil Baqaei reacted to comments attributed to Nancy Pelosi in which she urged the US administration to “cripple” Iran’s economy.

“Nancy Pelosi calls on the US administration to ‘cripple’ Iran’s economy so ordinary Iranians—even in rural areas—‘feel the pain.’ Deliberately inflicting pain & suffering on civilians for political leverage is the textbook definition of terrorism,” the spokesman said.

“Only an evil & arrogant mindset can feel entitled to prescribe policies built on civilians' suffering in another country,” he added.

“Legally speaking, this is further evidence of a deliberate & systematic US policy of exacting pain and cruelty on populations it disfavors. Such conduct amounts to a ‘crime against humanity’,” Baqaei stated.