TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Tuesday condemned the U.S. recent seizure of a Boeing 747 cargo plane of Venezuelan cargo airline Emtrasur as "illegal."
He made the remarks in a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website, saying the hijack fell in U.S. unilateral coercive measures and violated the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
He stressed that Iran voiced its absolute support for Venezuela's efforts as well as legal and diplomatic measures to restore ownership of the plane and gain access to its belongings.
The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement published on its website on Monday that the U.S. government had seized the Boeing 747 cargo plane that had previously been sold by "sanctioned" Iranian airline Mahan Air to Emtrasur, a state-owned Venezuelan firm, in violation of American export control laws.
The statement added that the American-built plane had arrived in Florida and would be disposed of.
Iran's Mahan Air has for years been under U.S. sanctions, accused by Washington of "providing support for the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps." ■
