Sanctions or Blackmails?
Sanctions or Blackmails?
Imposing sanctions in recent decades mainly by the Western countries has turned into a tool for blackmailing or increasing pressures on the countries which do not follow the West’s policies or want to  be independent, and the Islamic Republic of Iran since its establishment in 1979 has always been under Western countries’ sanctions under different pretexts and on Monday EU and UK  announced a new series of sanctions on Tehran to enhance pressure on Tehran for not to confront with rioters or anyone who causes disrupt in the country.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Imposing sanctions in recent decades mainly by the Western countries has turned into a tool for blackmailing or increasing pressures on the countries which do not follow the West’s policies or want to  be independent, and the Islamic Republic of Iran since its establishment in 1979 has always been under Western countries’ sanctions under different pretexts and on Monday EU and UK  announced a new series of sanctions on Tehran to enhance pressure on Tehran for not to confront with rioters or anyone who causes disrupt in the country.

The European Union on Monday announced imposition of a number of Iranian institutions and individuals, including the 24-hour English-language Press TV, over alleged “rights violations” following the recent foreign-backed riots in the country.

The EU announced new sanctions on a further 29 Iranian officials and three organizations for alleged crackdown on protests, which began following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman, who collapsed in police custody and was pronounced dead a few days later at hospital.

The 29-member bloc imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, four members of the police squad that arrested Amini, high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), including its provincial commanders, the commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces, and state broadcaster Press TV, which it accused of airing “forced confessions of detainees,” an EU statement said.

Experts believe that sanctions imposed on Press TV by the EU, and earlier by the government of Canada, are aimed at muzzling free speech and alternative views. They have also highlighted the role played by Press TV during the recent riots, as the news channel made a great effort to counter fake narratives fostered by Western media concerning Iran’s riots.

Meanwhile, despite EU’s fake claims that “Press TV is responsible for producing and broadcasting the forced confessions of detainees,” no such forced confessions have ever been produced or broadcast by the English-language news channel during the recent riots.

“We stand with the Iranian people and support their right to protest peacefully and voice their demands and views freely,” EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.

In a first round of sanctions earlier in October, the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 15 Iranian individuals and institutions linked to Amini’s death and the clamp-down on protests.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned in October that Tehran will take reciprocal action if the European Union imposed any restrictive measures against the Islamic Republic over the recent riots in the country.

 

Earlier in the month, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said the United States and the United Kingdom were “directly” involved in the unrest, adding that dozens of terrorists affiliated with the Israeli regime and anti-revolution groups have also been detained in the unrest.

Britain also on Monday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials, including a government minister, over what it claimed to be a “violent repression of protests” in the country.

The British government said it had added 24 designations under its Iran sanctions regime related to human rights.

The sanctions included Iranian Communications Minister Issa Zarepour and a range of local law enforcement and security officials, the British foreign office said in a statement.

These sanctions target officials within the Iranian government who are responsible for human rights violations, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

He also called for an end to what he alleged to be a violent crackdown on protests and freedom of expression. The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans.

Of course everyone knows this point that the West usually imposes sanctions on the countries or individuals when it sees the countries and individuals do not follow them blindly, and through sanctions, it tries to bring down to the knees its targets and now that the West has realized that Tehran will not bow to its excessive demands during the JCPOA talks or regional issues it has taken advantage of the current riots in Iran to use it as a tool for increasing pressures on Iranian officials to give concessions during the JCPOA talks and to reduce its regional influence.

According to evidences, these riots are supported by some certain countries and recent rude remarks of French President Emmanuelle Macron is a clear evidence for this claim that Westerners are supporting these recent riots in Iran either verbally or in practice.

The Islamic Republic of Iran for over four decades has been challenging with such plots and claims of regime change but it has continued its path stronger than before and this time it will also recover from the current plot and it will sail the ship of the country safely to the shores of peace and prosperity, and the West once again will be a loser and their resorting to sanctions or to blackmail Iran will be failed and the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand firmer than before against enemies’ plots.