Iran’s Foreign Ministry Accuses U.S. of Threatening Iranians With Starvation

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei accused the United States on Saturday of threatening Iranians with starvation through its blockade. His November 14 statement responded to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks four days earlier about the economic pressure on Iran and the prospects for an agreement. Baqaei characterized Rubio’s comment about the need to eat as an admission of an intention to commit war crimes. In a statement republished by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, he accused Washington of continuing earlier policies of threats, sanctions and aggression under new names. Speaking in Paris on November 10, Rubio said the blockade, sanctions and broader economic campaign were severely damaging the Iranian regime. He linked the pressure to its ability to sustain itself, saying, “eventually you have to eat; eventually you have to be able to pay your own fighters …” He said the campaign meant President Donald Trump did not then need to order major combat operations, while U.S. forces remained ready if Iran crossed red lines he declined to identify. Rubio blamed Iran’s leaders for the country’s economic condition and said Iranians deserved better. He said Washington remained open to a real agreement but considered Tehran’s conditions unserious. Qatar and other countries continued mediation, he said, and the United States was not discouraging their efforts.