Washington, May 01: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the US and NATO want to take control of Libya’s oil reserves and other natural resources rather than helping its people.
Mehmanparast made the comment in a press conference in the Cuban capital, Havana, on Saturday.
His remarks come as the United States on Wednesday permitted oil deals with Libyan Transitional National Council.
The order, issued by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, will remove legal difficulties pertaining to the ownership of Libya’s oil for potential buyers.
Mehmanparast also pointed to the double standards in Washington’s approach toward human rights issues.
He further explained that the US backed the ousted dictators in Tunisia and Egypt till the last minute, but turned a blind eye toward the brutal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters in Bahrain and Yemen.
The Iranian spokesperson also met with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Marcos Rodriguez Costa on Thursday in Havana, where the two officials criticized the United States for its “double-standard” approach toward the crises in the Middle East and North Africa.
Mehmanparast further called for bilateral cooperation in agriculture, electricity production, construction of ports, and transfer of technology in all spheres.
——–Agencies