TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry late on Friday said a small number of Western countries are not entitled to shed “crocodile tears” for the Iranian nation.

The reaction by the ministry came after the U.S., Canada, Britain and a small number of European Union countries on Friday imposed more sanctions on Iran ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini.

“Countries that have regularly committed the harshest violence against their own citizens, especially against women and minorities, people of color, aboriginals, natives and immigrants and have never had the least courage to strongly protest or condemn the crimes of the child-killing Zionist regime have no right to shed crocodile tears for the Iranian nation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press release.

In a statement on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "Mahsa’s tragic and senseless death in the custody of Iran’s so-called 'Morality Police' sparked demonstrations across Iran that were met with unspeakable violence, mass arrests, systemic internet disruptions and censorship by the Iranian regime." 

Kanaani described such moves and meddlesome remarks as “laughable and hypocritical shows”.

“Unfortunately, certain sides that have a dark historical record on human rights issues and women in a coordinated move and despicable efforts have issued worthless political statements to provoke sedition in the Islamic Republic of Iran by beating the drums of repetitive and ineffective sanctions,” Kanaani pointed out.  

The Foreign Ministry official despised the “unlawful and undiplomatic” moves of these countries and said it is better for the Europeans to acknowledge that the continuation of such “unconstructive behaviors will never meet their interests and should adopt a new policy based on respect toward the great and civilized Iranian nation and the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.  

The ministry spokesman concluded his remarks by saying that it is quite clear that the “far-sighted” Iranian people and the government as well as responsible security bodies will not waver in upholding “collective security” under the negative propaganda and biased moves of the Western sides. 

In a separate statement, The U.S. Treasury Department also said it imposed sanctions on more than two dozen people and entities it said were connected to what it called "violent suppression" of protests in the wake of Amini's death.

The action targets 29 people and groups, including 18 key members of the IRGC and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), as well as the head of Iran's Prisons Organizations, the department said. They also target officials linked to Iran's internet blockade and several media outlets.
Douran Software Technologies CEO Alireza Abedinejad as well as media organizations Press TV, Tasnim and Fars news agencies were also among those sanctioned.

The UK government also announced sanctions against several Iranian officials, including the culture minister, his deputy and the mayor of Tehran.