Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, has condemned US sanctions targeting activists involved in Gaza aid flotilla missions, accusing Washington of misrepresenting its support for Israeli actions against Palestinians as “security”.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Gharibabadi reacted to sanctions imposed by the United States on four activists linked to flotilla initiatives aimed at breaking what he described as Israel’s “illegal siege” on Gaza, News.Az reports, citing Iran's English-language Press TV.

“The Israeli regime stops humanitarian vessels bound for Gaza; the United States sanctions people linked to the aid flotilla and calls this complicity ‘security,’” Gharibabadi wrote.

The sanctions were announced on Tuesday following reports that at least 430 activists were detained during Israeli interceptions of aid vessels heading towards Gaza.

The senior diplomat said Israel and the US administration were advancing what he described as an “upside-down logic” in which humanitarian assistance is criminalised, while the blockade and starvation of civilians are justified as “defence” measures.

“In this upside-down logic, food and medicine become threats, humanitarian aid becomes a crime, and a siege that starves children is rebranded as ‘defence,’” he said.

Gharibabadi stressed that international law prohibits the starvation of civilians. “Starving civilians, obstructing humanitarian relief and collectively punishing a population are crimes, not security policies,” he added.

He further argued that Israeli attacks on aid vessels and US sanctions against activists reflect an attempt to suppress international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

News.Az