In response to EU sanctions against Iran over the riots in the country, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian published a Twitter post taking a jab at the EU for resorting to ineffective tools by miscalculating and taking an unconstructive measure based on false information. 

Down a well-worn path of ineffective sanctions, the EU today adopted further superfluous sanctions on Iranian persons. It is an unconstructive act out of miscalculation, based on widespread disinformation. Riots and vandalism are not tolerated anywhere; Iran is no exception.

— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) October 17, 2022

Monday witnessed the EU impose sanctions on 11 Iranian individuals and 4 entities, including the Iranian Morality Police and Law Enforcement, after pointing at them for allegedly breaching human rights in the controversial riots following the death of Mahsa Amini whose forensic report and autopsy revealed that she died of an underlying medical condition and not due to blows to her body.

During a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell, Amir-Abdollahian warned of reciprocation if the EU imposes further sanctions on Iran as the latter stated it advocates for the right to peaceful protests while maintaining that any form of rioting is rejected, blaming foreign intervention for the recent unrest. 

Amir-Abdollahian advised the EU to approach the riots realistically, for Iran upholds democracy and support for its people while envisioning a broader framework of cooperation with the bloc. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani joined in to condemn the sanctions on Monday hours after they were imposed, describing them as violations of international law and straight interference in Iran’s internal affairs. He said in an Instagram post on Sunday, hitting at the US' sanctions as well, that "Biden's support for protests and rioters is a blatant interference in our internal affairs, which we categorically refuse."

Iranian media reported that Kanaani stated, "It would have been better for Mr. Joe Biden to think a little about the human rights record of his own country before making humanitarian gestures, although hypocrisy does not need to be thought through."

According to Kanaani, the impositions are politically motivated, unfounded, and based on falsified information by the foes of the Iranian nation and their media outlets. He added that they not only represent a hostile policy towards his country but also a sign of exploiting human rights issues to achieve political aims. 

Kanaani, as Amir-Abdollahian, announced that Iran would retaliate by enforcing sanctions on relevant European people and entities in response.

EU claims to support human rights, yet hosts terrorists

Another official, Secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi, noted the contradiction in the EU's behavior for claiming to support human rights but hosting terrorists. 

El secretario del Consejo Superior de Derechos Humanos de #Irán, Kazem Gharibabadi, criticó a la #UE por hacer gestos vacíos de apoyo a los #DerechosHumanos pero dando cobijo a los #terroristashttps://t.co/V9KdhYluyd pic.twitter.com/zEWX1L0eoC

— IRNA Español (@irna_es) October 18, 2022

He tweeted: “The same European Union which has violated the rights of millions of Iranian civilians due to implementation of US-orchestrated unilateral and cruel sanctions, and sheltered and provided unwavering support to the terrorists who have murdered 17,000 innocent Iranians has now once again put up a pathetic charade by claiming to be defending human rights while simultaneously imposing sanctions on those safeguarding the security and safety of Iranian people against western-backed riots.”

This comes after the Iranian Foreign Minister took a jab at the US enforcement of the Albanian government to host the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) for years while providing them with full support and training them in the cyber field, expressing that the criminal MKO group continues to be a mere tool in the US' means to an end for terrorist operations, cyber-attacks, and psychological warfare against the Iranian government and people.