Speaking at a weekly presser on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani warned the European countries against any plan to pass new sanctions against Iran, saying, “We invite the European parties to exercise rationality.”
He also deplored foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iran, stressing that the Islamic Republic has acted responsibly on the regional developments and is regarded as a partner in creating stability.
Calling on Europe to avoid interventionist conducts, the spokesman said, “If the European party is prepared for interaction, Iran will be ready as well. But if they opt for selective and interfering behaviors, Iran will show a reaction. Iran will act proportional to their measures.”
In a telephone conversation with his Portuguese counterpart on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned of Tehran’s retaliatory response to any new sanction or resolution that may be mooted in the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of the European Union.
Pointing to the recent unrest in some Iranian cities, Amirabdollahian said, “We are a country confronting terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, Jaish ul-Adl and Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) in the west and the east. Moreover, we have seen the smuggling of weapons into the country from the western and eastern borders in recent weeks.”
The foreign minister also bemoaned the fact that a number of countries have made interfering comments and have practically provoked the rioters and terrorists in Iran by categorizing the riots and terrorist activities as protests.
“They (foreign states) have even put the subject of issuing resolutions or (imposing anti-Iran) sanctions in the next meeting of the European Union’s Council of Ministers on their agenda. If such measure takes place, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take retaliatory action,” he warned.