Eurasia Press & News
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand, in a press release on Tuesday, condemned US unilateral sanctions against Iran. The following is the full text of the press release:
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand wishes to state the following with regard to the recent move by the United States on 25 October 2007 in imposing illegal unilateral sanctions against certain Iranian institutions:
1- As stressed, time and again, by the IAEA officials and its reports, the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran is purely peaceful and there is no single evidence or indication to the contrary. On the eve of the visit by IAEA deputy chief, Mr. Heinonen to Tehran, the United States of America announced a new round of sweeping sanctions against Iran. Washington has decided to undermine progress in the sensitive negotiations by further intensifying its dangerous attitude toward Tehran.
2-The US tops the list of countries that impose sanctions against other nations. More than 60 have been the targets of Washingtonian ire over the past few decades. However, only a few changed course or revised their anti-US policies to enjoy trade and other benefits from the self-appointed superpower.
3-In the case of Iran with a population of 70 million, an area exceeding 1.6 million square kilometers, and GDP surpassing $220 billion, the sanctions for all practical reasons, have failed to weaken Iran’s resolve.
4- Iran is not a country fighting sanctions for the first time. The nation has lived with sanctions for almost three decades and endured. Resistance against the western-backed formidable army of executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for eight years and access to advanced peaceful nuclear technology are two examples of how nations develop and move forward under pressure.
5 – Our country has demonstrated the peaceful nature of its nuclear program through complete transparency and full cooperation with the IAEA and the international community is supporting a negotiated solution for the issue. If any change is expected on the nuclear landscape, it can come only through negotiations and respect for the rights of our people. Threats of military action or economic sanctions have been tried and tested. They simply did not work.
6-The IAEA’s negotiators should be allowed to work for finding a workable and mutually acceptable solution to all the pending issues between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog agency. More importantly the conditions to move Iran’s nuclear issue away from the overcrowded political arena to the legal and technical framework of IAEA -where it rightly belongs to- should be provided.
7- The preliminary reaction of various countries across the globe and their rejection of the most recent US unilateral sanctions against Iran, testifies to the fact that these measures and policies will not be effective and their failure is guarantied in advance.
Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand believes that, unilateralist approach of the United States of America is doomed to fail because of its illegal, illegitimate, and hegemonic nature. Undoubtedly, labeling sovereign nations and aspects of their national institutions as terrorist is against the most basic principles of international law, international relations and the UN Charter.
Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran – Bangkok
31 October 2007
