WANA (Aug 22) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has criticized the latest U.S. economic sanctions against Iran, describing them as far more than a continuation of the “economic war” against Tehran and as an attempt by Washington to impose its extraterritorial authority on independent UN member states.

 

Baghaei stressed that no government has the right to pressure banks, businesses, or airports in other countries into refraining from legitimate trade with a third country. He argued that U.S. secondary sanctions have no legal basis under international law.

 

According to the Iranian spokesperson, such sanctions violate the principle of sovereign equality enshrined in Article 2(1) of the UN Charter and run counter to the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of states, which he said has also been affirmed by the International Court of Justice, including in the Nicaragua case.

 

Baghaei also described the use of “economic intimidation” to force an independent state to alter its legitimate policy choices as an internationally wrongful act. He warned that when such sanctions are accompanied by what he called a “naval blockade,” their implications for the sovereignty of other states become even more serious.

 

He further argued that acquiescing to such pressure would effectively give priority to the authority of a foreign government over the lawful activities of banks, businesses, and economic infrastructure in other countries, potentially undermining the principle of national sovereignty in international relations.

 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson concluded by warning that the continued normalization of such policies could erode one of the fundamental principles of the international system based on the UN Charter and pave the way for a return to more overt forms of external interference.