In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh described the sanctioning of the Syrian top diplomat by the EU as an unreasonable and unconstructive move that would only worsen the Syrian crisis and complicate the political settlement process in the country.
He said, “Such a disgusting act will only lead to further divergence and thus increase distrust between Brussels and Damascus.”
“In a situation where the Syrian crisis needs a political solution, sanctioning the country’s foreign minister means nothing but the obstruction of peace,” the spokesman stressed.
Khatibzadeh called the decision unwise and unconstructive and strongly called on the EU to review the decision, and instead, deplore the Israeli regime’s recent strikes on Syrian soil which show a blatant violation of the country’s territorial integrity.
On Friday, the European Council in a statement announced its decision, which includes a travel ban and asset freeze, against the top Syrian diplomat who became foreign minister in November, shortly after his predecessor Walid al-Muallem passed away.
The decision comes while Damascus has repeatedly said the Western restrictions come in clear disregard of international law and the UN Charter.
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions against the Arab country, the first of which came in May 2011. They include travel bans, asset freezes, and measures targeting operations like oil imports, certain investments as well as technology transfer.
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