Iran slams new US sanctions as ‘immoral’ and ‘illegitimate’

Iran was responding to an announcement by the US on Sunday that it will impose new sanctions against 11 individuals and entities as a result of Tehran’s repeated test-firing of medium-range ballistic missiles, which were a breach of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Iran condemned the new sanctions imposed by the US on its missile program as “illegitimate” and “immoral.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari stated on Monday that Iran will pursue upgrading its missile capabilities in defiance of the US’ opposition to the Islamic Republic’s missile program.

“We will respond to such propaganda stunts and disruptive measures by more robustly pursuing our lawful missile program and promoting our defense capabilities and national security,” Ansari stated.

Ansari also said that Washington’s sale of weaponry to its allies in the Middle East, worth tens of billions of dollars annually, was used to commit “war crimes against Palestinian, Lebanese and most recently Yemeni citizens.”

“The US sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile programme … have no legal or moral legitimacy,” he said.

Ansari was responding to an announcement by the US on Sunday that it will impose new sanctions against 11 individuals and entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program as a result of Tehran’s repeated test-firing of medium-range ballistic missiles, which were a breach of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

The missile program “poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions,” said Adam J. Szubin, the Department of the Treasury’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in a statement.

He said the US has made it clear that it will “vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities” outside the terms of the nuclear agreement. Szubin cited Iran’s “support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program.”

UN experts said in a report in December that the missiles tests in October and November violated sanctions banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons.