Iran has accused the European Union of abandoning its legal and political independence by siding with Washington on sanctions against Tehran.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the bloc appears to be "surrendering its sovereignty, its laws and regulations, its values, and its ethics to American coercion."
Writing on X, Baqaei pointed to the EU's own Blocking Statute, which seeks to protect European businesses from the extraterritorial application of foreign sanctions.
He questioned how Brussels could back unilateral US measures against Iran whilst maintaining legislation designed to reject such extraterritorial restrictions.
Baqaei noted that the EU had taken a markedly different stance in 1996 when it adopted the Blocking Statute in response to US sanctions, adding: "Today it has become an accessory to Washington's lawless conduct."
Mutual exclusivity
Baqaei warned that EU member states could bear responsibility for the consequences of supporting US economic measures against Iran, stating that backing Washington's pressure campaign whilst simultaneously calling for de-escalation and regional stability are "mutually exclusive" positions.
His remarks came amid renewed regional tensions following Sunday US strikes on Iran's Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian media reported killed two people and injured two others.
Iran subsequently announced retaliatory attacks on sites used by US forces in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Last month, US President Donald Trump announced what he termed "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country".
Trump said the campaign seeks to sever Tehran's financial channels, warning countries providing an economic "lifeline" through financial institutions, businesses, or state entities of severe economic consequences.
