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Swedish court ruling

Iran’s top human rights official has denounced what he calls the contradictory behavior and double standard policies of some European countries toward the Islamic Republic. The secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights made the comment in protest at a Swedish court ruling against Iranian national Hamid Nouri. Kazem Gharibabadi called the verdict unlawful, saying Tehran will not sit idly by and has several options on the table to respond. Gharibabadi said Sweden claims to be behaving based on mutual respect, but hosts and supports anti-Iran terror groups. Last week, a Swedish court sentenced Nouri to life in prison over alleged rights abuses against members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, known as the MKO in the 1980s. The MKO is a terror group responsible for thousands of deaths in Iran.

Israel attacks Syria

Syrian media say Israel has conducted fresh missile strikes on the country, targeting areas on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. The regime's warplanes reportedly fired missiles from the occupied Golan Heights. Syrian military sources have been quoted as saying that air defenses intercepted most of the incoming missiles. They say the attack left three soldiers dead, seven more injured and caused material damage. The Israeli regime frequently launches missile attacks on Syria, mainly targeting its military and resistance fighters battling foreign-backed terrorists. Syria has, time and again, denounced Israeli acts of aggression and lodged official complaints with the UN and other international bodies for violating its sovereignty. Damascus says it reserves the right to respond to the Israeli aggression.

EU sanctions on Russia

Russia says the latest round of EU sanctions is illegitimate, warning that it would have devastating consequences for various segments of the global economy and security. The Foreign Ministry has accused the EU of continuing to QUOTE drive itself into a dead-end with enviable persistence. The new sanctions include a ban on importing gold from Russia and freezing the assets of the country's top lender Sber-bank. On Wednesday, EU diplomats agreed on a new round of sanctions over Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a statement, condemned the move, saying there is a huge gap between the EU's declared intentions and its actual behavior. The bloc has already imposed a wave of sanctions on Russia, targeting its key sectors.

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