Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, firing back at the EU's recent decision regarding the imposition of sanction against Tehran, which has been accused of being behind murder plots, said that sanctions "will not absolve Europe of responsibility for harbouring terrorists".
Iran's foreign minister took to Twitter, where he noted that Europeans, including "Denmark, Holland & France, harbor MEK", referring to the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujaheedin-e Khalq.
Europeans, incl Denmark, Holland & France, harbor MEK—who killed 12000 Iranians & abetted Saddam's crimes against Iraqi Kurds—as well as other terrorists staging murder of innocent Iranians from Europe. Accusing Iran won't absolve Europe of responsibility for harboring terrorists pic.twitter.com/pUXmSjmgyB
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 8, 2019
Earlier EU member states have reportedly agreed to impose sanctions against Iran’s intelligence service for its alleged assassination plots on European soil.
"Important day for European Foreign Policy! Strong signal from the EU that we will not accept such behaviour in Europe", Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen wrote on Twitter.
Important day for European Foreign Policy! EU just agreed to enact sanctions against an Iranian Intelligence Service for its assassination plots on European soil. Strong signal from the EU that we will not accept such behavior in Europe.
— Anders Samuelsen (@anderssamuelsen) January 8, 2019
Commenting on the issue, Stef Blok, the Dutch foreign minister, and Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren, noted that the reason for the sanctions is that Iran was allegedly involved in the politically-motivated killings.
"[The General Intelligence and Security Service] has strong indications that Iran was involved in the assassinations of two Dutch nationals of Iranian origin, in Almere in 2015 and in The Hague in 2017. These individuals were opponents of the Iranian regime", Blok and Ollongren said in a letter to the president of the country’s House of Representatives.
The ministers also admitted that the ongoing investigations into the alleged assassinations "have not confirmed [yet], in a criminal law sense, the intelligence that suggests interference by Iran".
READ MORE: Tehran Voices Protest to Denmark Envoy Over Statements on Iran's Secret Service
In November 2018, the foreign ministers of EU member countries agreed to consider the possibility of widening anti-Iranian sanctions.
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The alleged assassination plot reportedly targeted the leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA).
Tehran has rejected all of the allegations made by the Danish Intelligence and Security Service (PET).
"Such statements correspond to plans and conspiracies against strong and constantly developing Iranian-European relations in the conditions of modern serious and special conditions", Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Kasemi said, as quoted by IRNA.
