TEHRAN– Iran has sharply criticized the United States for what it calls the weaponization of economic policy, accusing Washington of using sanctions as a means to assert control over independent nations such as Iran and India, thereby obstructing their growth and sovereignty.
“The United States continues to weaponize the economy and use sanctions as tools to dictate its will on independent nations such as Iran and India and impede their growth and development,” the Embassy of Iran in India posted Thursday on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “These coercive, discriminatory actions violate international law and national sovereignty, representing a modern form of economic imperialism.”
The embassy added that resistance to such U.S. policies is “a stand for a more powerful emerging non-Western-led multilateral world order and a stronger Global South.”
The comments came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods and penalize India for purchasing Russian oil, effective August 1.
Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the latest round of U.S. sanctions targeting individuals, entities, and vessels involved in Iran’s oil and energy sectors. The ministry called the sanctions a “malicious act” aimed at undermining Iran’s economic progress and harming the well-being of its citizens.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the move reflects Washington’s ongoing hostility toward the Iranian people and exemplifies its reliance on what he described as “oppressive and illegal tactics” on the global stage.
In a strongly worded statement, Baqaei accused the U.S. of flouting international norms. “Washington’s addiction to unilateralism and its reliance on coercive tools to pursue illegitimate goals, along with its blatant disregard for international law and human rights, has made a mockery of state sovereignty and free trade,” he said.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Baqaei went further, labeling the sanctions as criminal and in violation of the core tenets of international law. “These unilateral and illegal sanctions are a crime against humanity,” he stated. (Source: IANS)
