WANA (Jun 08) – Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, has strongly criticized the European Union’s latest sanctions targeting several Iranian individuals and entities over issues related to the Strait of Hormuz, describing the measures as politically motivated and devoid of any value.

 

In a post published on X on Monday, Gharibabadi characterized the EU Council’s decision as a “deceptive action,” arguing that EU member states themselves have been among the major violators of the Iranian people’s rights.

 

He also accused the European Union of remaining deliberately silent in the face of what Tehran describes as a U.S. naval blockade against Iran, an action that Iranian officials regard as an act of war.

 

Addressing the legal dimensions of the issue, Gharibabadi noted that Iran is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He said Iran’s legal approach to the Strait of Hormuz is based on the principle of “innocent passage” under customary international law, while taking into account the safety and security considerations of the coastal state.

 

He further argued that unilateral coercive measures cannot create legal norms and may instead give rise to international responsibility for the states that impose them.

 

Gharibabadi concluded by stating that Iran attaches no value to what he called the EU’s political and hypocritical action and will continue pursuing its strategy of safeguarding national sovereignty and exercising its sovereign rights in the Strait of Hormuz.