TEHRAN – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi delivered a harsh rebuke to Western nations on Tuesday, asserting that Tehran will never submit to external pressure or abandon its principles under the weight of sanctions.

Speaking at the opening of an exhibition celebrating Iranian women’s achievements in Tehran, Gharibabadi condemned Western double standards on human rights and underscored the nation's steadfast endurance in the face of relentless economic warfare.

“Those who claim to advocate human rights but support Israel’s crimes in Gaza can no longer lecture others on violations,” Gharibabadi stated, referencing the killing of over 50,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.

He criticized the U.S. and its allies for supplying the Israeli regime with military aid while ignoring the humanitarian catastrophe, calling it proof of their “moral bankruptcy.”

Western countries have come under intense and sustained criticism for their perceived double standards on human rights, particularly their unwavering and unconditional support for the Israeli regime’s atrocities in Gaza.

Despite overwhelming global condemnation of the devastating humanitarian crisis—which UN experts have explicitly labeled as involving "genocide"—the U.S. and its allies have persistently supplied military aid and robust diplomatic cover to Israel.

The U.S., in particular, stands accused of complicity in war crimes through its continued arms shipments, while European nations face similar backlash for prioritizing geopolitical interests over justice and accountability.

‘Any other nation but Iran would have collapsed’ 

Additionally, the official lambasted unilateral sanctions as a tool of collective punishment in his speech, arguing they endanger millions of Iranians’ “right to life and well-being.”

“If they truly cared about human rights, they would lift these sanctions,” he said, noting that even food and medicine exemptions are ignored.

Gharibabadi emphasized Iran’s self-reliance, declaring, “Any other nation facing 10% of our pressures would have collapsed. We draw strength from our 7,000-year civilization and national pride.”

The diplomat highlighted Europe’s hosting of notorious groups like the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO), an EU-designated terrorist organization until recently, arguing that Western governments had facilitated the sheltering of terrorist groups implicated in the massacre of 23,000 Iranian civilians.

“Human rights are politicized—states aligned with the West escape scrutiny, while Iran faces baseless accusations,” he added, contrasting Iran’s “religious and national” human rights framework with pre-revolutionary subservience to the monarchy.  

Gharibabadi concluded by urging foreign envoys to report Iran’s realities to their governments. “Sanctions may strain daily life, but they will never break our sovereignty,” he said.