Treatment of Vocalist Shows U.S. Hostility With Iranians
TEHRAN – Iran’s government spokesman has slammed the United States for preventing the entry of an Iranian traditional vocalist under baseless claims, saying such actions prove Washington’s hostility toward the people of Iran.
In a post on his Twitter account, Ali Bahadori Jahromi said the U.S. has a clear record of not keeping promises and breaching principles of the international and human rights regulations.
Measures by the United States to impose new sanctions on Tehran and prevent the entry of Iranian vocalist Alireza Ghorbani under baseless claims show Washington’s hostility towards the Iranian people under any circumstances.
Ghorbani was travelling to California to perform at a concert in the city of Irvine celebrating the Persian New Year, Nowruz. But on March 25, U.S. border patrol officers at Toronto Airport in Canada interrogated him and canceled his U.S. visa, preventing him from traveling.
The 49-year-old traditional vocalist had attributed the entry ban to his military service in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Beginning at age 18, Iranian men are required to complete up to two years of military service, including in the IRGC.
The White House, under the Donald Trump administration, designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019. It was the first time Washington had designated an element of a foreign state as a terrorist entity, setting a bad precedent in international relations.
In response, Iran declared all US forces in the Middle East terrorists and called the U.S. government a sponsor of terrorism.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on an individual and companies linked with him for providing assistance to Iran’s ballistic missile program.
In its statement, the Treasury said the new sanctions target the companies that procured ballistic missile propellant-related materials for a unit of the IRGC that is responsible for the research and development of ballistic missiles.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday slammed the new sanctions as yet another sign of Washington’s ill intent in treating the Iranian nation, saying the move shows America misses no opportunity to exert pressure on the country.
“It clearly proves the fact that the current U.S. administration, contrary to its claims, uses every opportunity to level baseless accusations and put pressure on the Iranian people,” he added.