Iran slams new US oil sanctions, calls them ‘illegal and unjustified’

Iran on Sunday (Oct 13) condemned the latest US sanctions on its oil industry, calling them "illegal and unjustified". The US imposed the sanctions after Tehran's missile attack on Israel earlier this month.

In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, defended the strike as lawful, and insisted that Iran had the right to respond to the new sanctions.

Baghaei criticised the US, accusing it of supporting Israel's aggression. He said that the US"policy of threats and maximum pressure" had no impact on "Iran's will to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interests, and citizensagainst any violation and foreign aggressions."

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He argued that these measures enable Israel "to continue killing innocents and pose a threat to the peace and unity of the region and the world".

Thesanctions come amid rising tensions, with oil prices climbing to their highest since August. US President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel against targeting Iran's oil infrastructure, one of the world's 10 largest producers. Iran has warned that any attack on its facilities "will provoke an even stronger response".

US' latest sanctions against Iran

The new US sanctions, introduced on Friday (Oct 11), target ships and companies involved in transporting Iranian oil.

The US Treasury said it targeted Tehran's so-called shadow fleet of ships involved in selling Iranian oil, bypassing existing restrictions. Furthermore, the US Treasury Department blacklisted 10 companies and 17 vessels as "blocked property".

Meanwhile, the State Department sanctioned six more firms and ships for "knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran".

(With inputs from agencies)