Iran Condemns Pelosi's Sanctions Call as a Crime Against Humanity

Iran's Foreign Ministry has issued a sharp condemnation of recent comments by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, labeling calls for increased economic pressure on the Iranian people as a "crime against humanity."

Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei made the statement in response to Pelosi's encouragement for the U.S. Government to intensify sanctions against Iran with the explicit aim of inflicting "pain and suffering" on its population.

Baqaei criticized what he described as a call to "cripple" Iran's economy so that ordinary citizens, including those in rural areas, would feel severe hardship. He argued that deliberately imposing suffering on civilians to achieve political objectives constitutes an act of terrorism.

"Only a criminal and arrogant mind reserves the right to propose policies based on the pain and suffering of civilians in another country," the spokesman stated.

He characterized the push for heightened U.S. Economic coercion as part of an effort to bring about a "regime fall" in Iran. From a legal perspective, Baqaei asserted this reflects a deliberate and systematic U.S. Policy of inflicting cruelty on disfavored populations, which he equates to crimes against humanity.

The remarks have sparked wider commentary. Political analyst Trita Parsi dismissed suggestions that Pelosi's words were accidental, stating they reveal the fundamental logic behind longstanding U.S. Sanctions policy.

Journalist Aaron Maté noted that ordinary Iranians who support their government are a primary target of such measures, questioning the moral authority of any politician to deliberately cause "pain" in another nation's civilian population.

Iranian authorities have consistently denounced U.S. Sanctions as a form of collective punishment targeting civilians. This criticism follows recent acknowledgments from U.S. Officials about the impact of such measures.

Last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent referenced sanctions effects during discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Furthermore, in November 2018, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explicitly supported the "maximum pressure" campaign initiated after Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, reinstating and adding sanctions.

Pompeo stated at the time that Iranian officials must comply with U.S. Demands "if they want their people to eat," underscoring the direct linkage between economic pressure and civilian welfare in U.S. Policy discourse.