On Saturday, Iran accused the United States of violating international law through what it described as an “economic war” that the administration of US President Donald Trump intends to escalate against Tehran, warning of the repercussions of US sanctions on the sovereignty and trade relations of other countries.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that banks, companies and airports located within the exclusive jurisdiction of any country should not be subjected to pressure from other countries to force them to abandon legitimate trade with a third country.
Baghaei’s position came after Trump threatened to impose strict sanctions on countries that continue to support Iran, as part of Washington’s efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Baghaei considered that “economic coercion that aims to force a sovereign state to change its legitimate political choices constitutes an internationally wrongful act,” noting that what he described as “secondary sanctions” contradict the United Nations Charter.
He added that Trump’s plan, in parallel with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, would make the sovereignty of other countries “temporary, conditional, and revocable according to the desire of another power,” warning that these measures may lead to what he described as “a return to comprehensive traditional colonialism.”
Trump said on Friday evening that he did not know who he could negotiate with in Iran, noting that most of the Iranian leaders had been killed, and that he did not believe that anyone wanted to assume the position of president in the country.
The US President renewed his talk about considering the Strait of Hormuz “American territory,” stressing that the United States will not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon.
Trump also confirmed that Iran would very much like to reach a deal, anticipating a decline in energy prices once the operations related to Iran end, adding: “Iran would very much like to reach an agreement, but we do not know if we want that.”
