‘Banality of Evil’: Iran Hits Back at EU Over New Sanctions
TEHRAN -- Iran on Saturday sharply criticized European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over the bloc’s latest sanctions on Iranian officials, saying the EU is focusing on alleged human rights violations while remaining silent on U.S. and Israeli terrorism against the Islamic Republic.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the EU has lost all credibility by criticizing Iran’s domestic policies while refusing to condemn terrorist attacks that have killed Iranian civilians and damaged critical infrastructure.
“How can a professed commitment to human rights be so easily reconciled with providing logistical and technical support for lethal aggressions against the Iranian people?” Baghaei wrote on X.
“All while refusing to condemn even the most blatant war crimes, and offering not a single word of sympathy for Iranian children slaughtered by American-Israeli bombs and missiles enabled by the EU’s own ‘logistical and technical support,’” he said.
“This is not merely a loss of credibility,” Baghaei said. “It is the banality of evil—and the purest form of hypocrisy.”
His remarks came a day after Kallas announced new European sanctions against six Iranian individuals over alleged human rights abuses.
The measures target five judges from Iran’s Revolutionary Courts for presiding over cases involving subversive activities, as well as Nima Salehi, founder of the Ashiyane cyber group, which the EU accused of suppressing information.
Tehran rejected the sanctions as politically motivated, stating that European governments have ignored civilian casualties resulting from military terrorism against Iran while continuing to support Washington and Israel.
Iranian officials have repeatedly condemned European governments for selectively invoking international law and human rights while overlooking civilian casualties caused by their allies.
The European Union continues backing policies that contribute to military escalation and civilian suffering while simultaneously claiming to champion human rights and international law.