Iran blasts U.S. sanctions, calls for U.N. backing

28 June 2011 | 21:03 Code : 14181 Latest Headlines

CNN -- Iran has sharply condemned new American sanctions on the country's national airline and other companies and people, calling them an effort to advance Washington's "hegemonic policies in the Middle East region."

The sanctions on Iran Air are "also a deception tactic to avert the attention of the U.S. citizens from many unfruitful and failed policies in domestic and foreign levels," Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Khazaei, wrote to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The United Nations has a "fundamental responsibility to mobilize the international community to face up to such disastrous threats to those nations who are merely endeavoring to attain their legitimate and undeniable rights under international law," Khazaei said, asking that the U.N General Assembly and Security Council consider his letter.

The letter is dated June 24, the day after the U.S. Treasury and State Department announced the new sanctions, and was published by Iran Students' News Agency the following day.

The sanctions also hit international business executives accused of illicitly building up Tehran's military.

In a joint statement June 23, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the American government and its allies "remain fully committed to a diplomatic solution with Iran."

"However, until Iran is prepared to engage seriously with us on such a solution, we will continue to increase pressure against Iranian entities of concern," the two Cabinet secretaries said.

The measures include sanctions on Iran Air, which the Treasury Department says provided "material support and services" to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The guard is a leading component of Iran's military that the U.S. government alleges has supported terrorism and committed human rights abuses against anti-government demonstrators.

The U.S. government claims rockets or missiles have been transported on Iran Air flights, including some such armored components to Syria. Airline employees allegedly are discouraged from inspecting Revolutionary Guard cargo onboard, and some members of the guard occasionally take over Iran Air Flights.

U.S. sanctions were also instituted for the Tidewater Middle East Company, which Washington claims has exported arms and gear from seven of its Iranian ports to the Revolutionary Guard.

U.S. federal prosecutors announced separately on Thursday that they had broken up a major effort to ship parts for fighter jets and helicopter gunships to Iran in violation of U.S. arms export laws.

In a host of indictments, the federal department accused executives from companies in Florida, Illinois, France and the United Arab Emirates with illegally supplying components for U.S.-built aircraft to Iran. An Iranian company and its top officers also have been charged in the case.

The Florida-based company, the Parts Guys, and its president, Michael Todd, have already pleaded guilty to violating the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.

The head of the other U.S. company named in the charges, Iranian-born U.S. citizen Hamid "Hank" Seifi, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison Wednesday, prosecutors said.