WANA (Feb 15) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned recent remarks by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, describing them as evidence of a broader U.S. policy aimed at inflicting hardship on Iranian civilians.

 

In a post on X, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei cited Pelosi as calling on the U.S. administration to “cripple” Iran’s economy so that ordinary Iranians — even in rural areas — would “feel the pain.”

 

“Deliberately inflicting pain and suffering on civilians for political leverage is the textbook definition of terrorism,” Baghaei wrote.

 

He added that “only an evil and arrogant mindset can feel entitled to prescribe policies built on civilians’ suffering in another country.”

 

From a legal perspective, Baghaei argued, such statements constitute further evidence of what he described as a deliberate and systematic U.S. policy of exacting pain and cruelty on populations it disfavors.

 

“Such conduct amounts to a ‘crime against humanity,’” he stated.

 

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington, with economic sanctions remaining a central pillar of U.S. policy toward Iran.