TEHRAN - Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday that the United States must end its “illegal” and “unusual” behavior.

He told reporters in written that Iran will not just sit and watch the U.S. “unjustified moves”.

He noted that the U.S. does not respect international law on security of flights.

On Thursday night, U.S. warplanes operating illegally in Syria conducted aggressive maneuvering close to an Iranian Mahan Air flight over Syria’s al-Tanf region. 

Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 had taken off from Tehran and was en route to the Lebanese capital Beirut when the incident happened.

Iran said harassing a passenger plane is a violation of the principles of international law.

“The harassment of the Iranian passenger plane by U.S. warplanes constitutes a clear violation of international law as well as aviation standards and regulations,” Iran Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement.

It also urged the ICAO to look into the issue as soon as possible.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday denounced the harassment of the passenger plane, calling on the international community to stop the U.S. “outlaws” before a disaster happens. 

“[the] U.S. illegally occupies territory of another State and then harasses a scheduled civil airliner—endangering innocent civilian passengers—ostensibly to protect its occupation forces. Audacity to compound lawlessness upon lawlessness. These outlaws must be stopped before disaster,” Zarif tweeted.

‘South Korea should revise illegal procedures’

Rabiei also said that South Korea should revise illegal procedures and release Iran’s frozen money.

He noted that South Korea is expected to revise illegal procedures and facilitates importing humanitarian commodities to Iran when the country is fighting the coronavirus.

Iran is escalating pressure on the East Asian country to release about $7 billion of oil-export revenues, arguing that Seoul is buckling to pressure from its U.S. ally and illegally withholding funds needed to counter the coronavirus outbreak.

Iran is the hardest hit country by the coronavirus in West Asia. 

In late June, central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati said Iran will take back its dollars from South Korea through legal and international methods.

The official also expressed hope that the South Korean government would abide by its commitments and not block access to those funds under the pretext of the U.S. sanctions.

NA