TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the United States economic terrorism against countries including Iran, Cuba, Russia, China and Syria targets civilians.

“#US #EconomicTerrorism against Cuba, China, Russia, Syria, Iran &... deliberately target civilians, trying to achieve illegitimate political objectives through intimidation of innocent people. US rouge behavior now includes piracy, bribery & blackmail
We salute Cuba & stand w/it,” he tweeted on Thursday.

His tweet came as Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said in a twitter message that U.S. acts against Iran affect the Iranian people.

“#US sanctions against Iran’s maritime entities are another violation of International Law. #US coercive measures preventing the movement of Iranian oil affect the brother peoples of #Iran and #Syria and threaten #Peace in that volatile region,” Rodriguez tweeted.

Iran has repeatedly said that the U.S. sanctions against Iran are examples of economic terrorism.

In another tweet on Wednesday, Zarif described the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control as “jail warden” and said the only way to mitigate U.S. Economic terrorism is to decide to finally “free yourself from the hangman’s noose”.

“#OFAC is nothing more than a JAIL WARDEN:
Ask for reprieve (waiver), get thrown in solitary for the audacity. Ask again and you might end up in the gallows.
The only way to mitigate US #EconomicTerrorism (sanctions) is to decide to finally free yourself from the hangman’s noose,” he tweeted.

Zarif’s remarks came after the U.S. imposed sanctions on an Iranian shipping network, several tankers, companies and insurance firms, accusing it of supplying millions of barrels of oil to Syria.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced the illegal sanctions on 16 entities, 10 people, including a former Iranian oil minister, and 11 vessels, as Washington continued its campaign of “maximum pressure” against Tehran, seeking rise in tensions in the Middle East region, Press TV reported.

NA/PA