TEHRAN, Iran: Tehran strongly condemned the latest round of US sanctions imposed on its oil and petrochemical industry in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel earlier this month.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called the sanctions “illegal and unjustified” and defended Iran’s missile strike, claiming it was a legitimate response to Israeli aggression. The sanctions, announced by the US Treasury Department, target Iran’s “shadow fleet” of vessels involved in circumventing existing restrictions by selling Iranian oil.
These measures, which block properties of companies and vessels involved in Iranian oil sales, have heightened tensions between the two nations. Baghaei emphasized that Iran would continue to defend its sovereignty and citizens, dismissing the sanctions as ineffective.
He further criticized the US for enabling Israel to persist in its aggressive actions against Palestinians. Meanwhile, oil prices have surged as global markets await Israel’s potential military response to the attack, despite US President Joe Biden urging Israel not to target Iranian oil infrastructure.
Iran has warned that any such attack would provoke an even stronger retaliation from Tehran.