Iran has expressed strong condemnation of new financial sanctions imposed by the United States, labeling them as “illegal” and “unjustified.” The sanctions target an international network accused of facilitating the shipment of significant quantities of Iranian crude oil to China, reportedly amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
In an official statement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticized the US government’s actions, characterizing them as an attempt to exert undue pressure on the Iranian nation by obstructing legal trade with its economic partners. Baqaei argued that these measures are not only illegitimate but also a violation of international regulations.
The US Department of the Treasury had announced the sanctions just a day earlier, identifying a network involved in the transport of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China. This oil was reportedly shipped on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff as well as a sanctioned entity known as Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.
These sanctions mark a continuation of a broader strategy implemented under the previous administration’s “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, particularly concerning allegations that the country is seeking to advance its nuclear weapons program. Iranian officials have vocally criticized the reimplementation of such policies, asserting that they will ultimately lead to failure.
This situation unfolds against the backdrop of the United States’ withdrawal from the landmark nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, during President Trump’s first term. The deal had originally provided Iran with relief from sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. Following the US exit from the agreement, Iran maintained its compliance for a year but later began to reduce its adherence to the terms.
Additionally, efforts aimed at reviving the JCPOA have stalled, and Trump recently reiterated the need for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, emphasizing that the country “cannot have a Nuclear Weapon.” Despite this, Iran continues to assert that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denies any aspirations to develop atomic weapons.
