The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Saeed Khatibzadeh, offered a press conference on Monday in which he described the arrest of Venezuelan Special Envoy Alex Saab as a dangerous heresy for international law, considering him a prisoner of war.
Khatibzadeh made it clear that "the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns any action that is contrary to the principles of international relations and hinders the activities of diplomats," says a press release.
The spokesperson added that the United States' attempt to extradite a government envoy to a third country to the United States could be a dangerous move in international law and relations between countries.
Regarding the maneuvers of the United States for the extradition of Ambassador Alex Saab, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that "diplomatic law and its observance is a matter of international law and the Vienna Convention has clearly defined its framework."
Khatibzadeh recalled that “Mr. Alex Saab, with a diplomatic passport and as an envoy of the Venezuelan government to provide medical and food items to the people of Venezuela, had the mission of preventing the United States government from enforcing its national and extraterritorial laws only for political purposes ”.
Regarding the new US Treasury Department sanctions against some individuals and institutions, the spokesperson noted that “it is clear that the US sanctions policy against Iran is a failed and ineffective policy and only indicates Washington's addiction to sanctions ”.
Finally, Khatibzadeh stressed that the US government itself has recognized that "the policy of sanctions and maximum pressure against Iran has failed."
