TEHRAN - A group of 175 Iranian lawmakers has issued a joint statement condemning the United States' recent move to impose sanctions on Al-Mustafa International University, a religious Iranian scientific institution providing education services to non-Iranian individuals from all over the world.

“This move is undoubtedly indicative of the U.S. arrogant administration’s inability and frustration against the Iranian nation’s scientific and cultural progress. We, representatives of the nation and the revolutionary Parliament, consider these ignorant sanctions on this international scientific center, which has put the slogan of justice, spirituality and rationality at the forefront of its activities, as an immoral and illegitimate act that goes against all global norms, and thus we condemn these sanctions and express our support for this prominent institution,” the statement said.

On December 8, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took the rare step of imposing sanctions on Al-Mustafa International University, accusing it of being “used as a recruitment platform by the IRGC-QF for intelligence collection and operations.”

Al-Mustafa International University is an Iranian educational institution that is largely dedicated to providing scientific services to foreign individuals who aspire to get firsthand knowledge about Shia religion. According to the U.S. Treasury, it includes large numbers of foreign and American students.