Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
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Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool

Russia warned the United States against intervening in Iran and exploiting the situation there to undermine the agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

It has also called on the United Nations to condemn the “US interference” in Iran’s domestic affairs and considered the holding of a Security Council session to discuss the situation in the Persian State as “not constructive”.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday, as quoted by TASS news agency: “We warn the US against attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is happening there is an internal affair, which attracts the attention of the international community,” he added.

Commenting on the latest developments in Iran, Ryabkov noted: “Despite numerous attempts to distort the essence of what is going on, I am certain that our neighbor, the country that is friendly to us, will be able to overcome the current difficulties and emerge from the current period as a stronger nation and a reliable partner in solving various problems, including those related to further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

Ryabkov accused the US of intending to exploit the current situation in Iran, in an attempt to undermine the international commitment to Iran’s nuclear deal.

“The current situation when Washington yields to temptation to take advantage of the moment to bring up new questions with regard to the JCPOA testifies to a deliberate attempt to undermine the global community’s commitment to the JCPOA,” the Russian diplomat stated. “That does no credit to our American counterparts.”

He underlined Russia’s firm stance with regards to preserving the nuclear deal, adding that the agreements that have been reached were an important factor in strengthening regional and global stability.

In a separate interview with RIA Novosti, Ryabkov said that his country rejected US threats to expand sanctions against Russia and to impose new sanctions against Iran.

He was replying to remarks by US State Department’s Spokeswoman Heather Nauert, who said that the US was considering sanctions as a possibility of responding to Iranian authorities’ practices against protesters.



ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
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ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)

European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.

The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes against humanity.

All EU member states are signatories to the ICC's founding treaty, called the Rome Statute.

Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.

"The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.

"It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don't fulfil," he told Reuters.

The United States rejected the ICC's decision and Israel said the ICC move was antisemitic.

"Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government - (they are) being accused of antisemitism," said Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month.

"I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That's enough."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Israel says it has killed Masri.