Iran Rejects Rubio Remarks, Blames US Sanctions For Energy Crisis

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) New Delhi- Iran Sunday strongly rejected remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing Tehran of attempting“to take the energy market hostage,” calling the allegations a deliberate distortion of regional realities and an effort to divert attention from U.S. and Israeli policies.

In a statement Iran's embassy in India issued following Rubio's comments during a press conference with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the embassy said the accusations were aimed at shifting focus away from what it described as destabilizing actions by Washington and Israel in the region.

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“Such allegations constitute a clear attempt to distort the realities of the region and to deflect attention from the destabilizing policies of the United States and the Zionist regime,” the embassy said.

Iran, one of the world's major oil producers, said it had consistently been willing to supply energy resources to countries worldwide, including India, and argued that it was U.S. sanctions-not Tehran-that had disrupted global energy markets.

“What has held the global energy market hostage over recent years has been the unlawful and unjust sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran's oil exports,” the statement said.

The embassy said the sanctions had been imposed in violation of international law and the United Nations Charter and were intended to exert economic pressure on the Iranian people.

It added that restrictions on Iran extended beyond oil exports and formed part of a broader pattern of measures imposed by successive U.S. administrations over several decades.

“Oil sanctions represent only a small part of the broader pattern of hostile measures and pressures that the U.S. government has imposed on the Iranian people over the past 47 years,” the statement said.

The embassy also accused Washington of imposing sanctions affecting healthcare, saying restrictions had hampered access to medicines and medical equipment for Iranian patients.

“These measures have even included pharmaceutical sanctions and restrictions on Iranian patients' access to essential medicines and vital medical equipment,” it said, adding that such actions had caused humanitarian suffering.

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The statement also pushed back against claims linking Iran to threats against maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important shipping lanes.

Iran argued that“military, provocative, and adventurist actions” by the United States and Israel were responsible for increasing tensions in the region.

“These two regimes are the principal drivers behind the escalation of global security and energy crises and seek to advance their political and military objectives through the creation of instability and insecurity,” it said.

Addressing Rubio's assertion that Washington would not allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, Iran reiterated that its nuclear programme was entirely peaceful and remained under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The embassy said Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), had repeatedly maintained that its nuclear activities were intended solely for civilian purposes.

“The IAEA itself has thus far neither observed nor reported any diversion in Iran's nuclear activities,” it said.

Iran further said the peaceful use of nuclear technology remained its“legitimate and inalienable right” and that it would not abandon what it called an internationally recognized entitlement.

The statement concluded by saying the Iranian people had demonstrated resilience in the face of sustained pressure and conflict, asserting that Tehran had emerged stronger despite what it called aggression by the United States and Israel.

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Relations between Tehran and Washington remain strained amid longstanding disputes over sanctions, regional security and Iran's nuclear programme. India, which has maintained ties with both countries, has also historically relied on Iranian energy imports, though purchases have sharply declined in recent years following U.S. sanctions.

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