Hizbollah condemns the US sanctions on Iranian news agencies

Beirut – Hizbollah has condemned the American administration for imposing sanctions on Iranian institutions and on a number of individuals and entities working in the media field.

A statement by Hizbollah Media Relations Department said on Saturday that the US administration and its subordinating allies claim protecting the freedom of speech and expression as long as this freedom serves their policies and interest, but, they suppress this freedom by all means when they face rejection of their polices and they impose unfair sanctions that expose the falseness of their claims about freedom and equality.

The statement clarified that sanctions on intellectuals, thinkers, journalists and media outlets mean acknowledging failure in intellectual confrontation and inability to convince the world with the western cultural model which is based on hegemony.

Yesterday, the American administration imposed sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities, including journalists and a number of media outlets including Tasnim News Agency, which they accused of suppression or misrepresentation of last year’s unrest in Iran.

In a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the US and its allies for imposing a slew of fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic over the country’s defense of its security and nation in the face of Western-backed riots that spread throughout the country last year.

Kanaani denounced the sanctions as “unconstructive behavior,” which was not in line with the Western countries’ own interests.

The West, he added, rather had to adopt “a new policy based on respect for the great and civilized Iranian nation, the Islamic Republic’s sovereignty, and the two sides’ common security and interests.”

Referring to the Western sanctions and accusations faulting Iran’s riot response, Kanaani asserted that, when it comes to the provision of public security for the country, the Iranian people and authorities “would not be influenced by the Western parties’ malicious propaganda and measures.”

Hamda Mustafa