In a statement on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the US administration’s new move against Cuba once again revealed that Washington “resorts to every illegitimate option to put pressure on independent states.”
“Despite annual opposition from an overwhelming majority of the UN member states to economic embargos against Cuba, Washington has no limits for imposing inhumane sanctions against that country (Cuba) and for frequent violation of its commitments,” the spokesman deplored.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran voices support for the Cuban Republic’s government and nation in the face of the new wave of US sanctions and threats, and calls on responsible countries to adopt effective measures against Washington’s recurrent violation of the international law,” Mousavi added.
Effective May 2, the Trump administration lifted a longstanding ban against American citizens lodging lawsuits against foreign businesses that use properties taken by Cuba’s Communist government since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every US president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the US court system with a flood of lawsuits.
The US is reportedly seeking to pressure the Havana government into giving up its support for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The European Union and Canada, whose companies are the top investors in Cuba, particularly in the tourism and mining sectors, have denounced the Trump administration’s implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.
