The 'Inhuman' Sanctions of the West and Iran's 'Human' Sanctions!

A number of Twitter users criticized the 'double standard' in the approach to sanctions, recalling that Western sanctions against Iran have been labeled 'inhuman' by officials of the Islamic Republic, while sanctions against Iraqi Kurdistan are being imposed. The Iranian Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization announced in a directive that 'due to recent regional developments,' any loading of petroleum products from Iranian companies to or from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is prohibited. This directive was issued after the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was held on Monday with a participation rate of 72% of eligible voters, of which 92% voted for separation. Hours after the announcement of this directive, several Twitter users criticized the 'double standard' regarding sanctions, recalling reactions to Western sanctions against Iran. Islamic Republic officials have previously called Western sanctions against Iran 'inhuman' and emphasized that these sanctions 'target the people of Iran.' A user named 'Amir Ebtehaj' tweeted: 'Mr. Rouhani! During the elections, you said you opposed sanctions. Why are you silent against the sanctions on Kurdistan Iraq? Sanctions are only bad when they are against us, but otherwise they are good?' Meysam Behrooz also wrote that 'American sanctions against the great Iranian nation are bad, but our sanctions against Kurdistan Iraq are good!' Another Twitter user, under the username 'Hannah Arendt Heidegger,' wrote, 'So this means sanctions and siege, so stop with the Gaza comparisons.' Some Twitter users defended this action, emphasizing that with this move, Masoud Barzani would retreat from his demands. However, Farshid Ghazanfarpour, referring to the directive from the Iranian Road Maintenance Organization, wrote: 'Does this mean we are sanctioning Kurdistan? Sanctions? The same disaster that the West has brought upon us for years? Just because they held a referendum?' Another Twitter user named Admiral wrote: 'If Israel besieges Gaza, it is very bad, but if we sanction and besiege Kurdistan Iraq for holding a referendum, that is definitely right!' Another user noted, 'You who have been sanctioned all your life; did you see how sanctions affected you?' Journalist Arash Bahmani also implicitly referred to the presence of Iranian military forces in Syria, writing: 'These are good sanctions, like good military interventions that we can do without any problem, but when others do it against us, it is inhuman.' A Twitter user named Ahmad also emphasized that the sanctions imposed by the Islamic Republic directly target the people of Kurdistan Iraq. Saeed Goudarzi wrote: 'Those who said there is no such thing as smart sanctions and that any sanctions against a country directly target its people, what do they think about the sanctions on Kurdistan?' Some Twitter users, including Maryam, compared the Islamic Republic's sanctions to the beliefs of Shiites regarding the closing of water on the third Shiite Imam and his companions during the battle against Yazd's forces, criticizing the prohibition of sending food supplies to Kurdistan Iraq. In response to this referendum, Iran, along with other airlines worldwide, announced that at the request of the central government of Iraq, it would stop all flights to Erbil airport from Friday evening. Closing all border crossings between Iran and Kurdistan Iraq is another action that Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, had previously warned about. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that holding a referendum for the independence of Kurdistan Iraq is a 'plot by the US and Israel,' and in this regard, Mohammad Imami Kashani, the temporary Friday prayer leader in Tehran, reiterated this view in his sermon on Friday. In this context, more than '92 percent' of participants in the Kurdistan Iraq independence referendum voted positively. Ali Shamkhani announced the possibility of sanctions against Kurdistan Iraq by Iran. International flights to Erbil airport were officially halted. Iran banned the trade of petroleum products with Kurdistan Iraq. Separatism; right or wrong? Changing the battlefield of 'proxies'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: a horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran.