TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday condemned the European Parliament's decision to ban all Iranian diplomats and representatives from the institutions' premises, vowing that Tehran will reciprocate any restriction.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X one day after European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the decision and claimed that it was made in response to Iran's "crackdown on protesters."
"More than two years of genocide in Gaza that has claimed the lives of 70,000 Palestinians has not led the European Parliament to take any real action against Israel. Even as (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, he freely flies over European airspace," Araghchi said.
"In contrast, it takes only a few days of violent riots in Iran for the European Parliament to physically ban our diplomats," he said.
People are not "stupid" and saw what is unfolding with their own eyes, he said, adding that although Iran does not seek enmity with the EU, "it will reciprocate any restriction."
The development came as protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.
On Monday, Iranian authorities said that they had obtained evidence of U.S. and Israeli involvement in domestic "terrorist activities," including footage showing weapons being distributed to protesters, and that they would soon release confessions of detainees. ■
