U.S. sanctions contradict Biden's claim of “standing with” Iranian women: spokesman

TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday censured U.S. President Joe Biden for his claim of "standing with" Iranian women, saying they have been equally targeted by U.S. sanctions.

Nasser Kanaani's remarks came a day after Biden made the claim in a White House statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which is observed on Nov. 25 every year.

For more than 40 years, the U.S. "has left no stone unturned in showing enmity and cruelty toward the Iranian nation and had no mercy in imposing economic terrorism" against its people, even including children suffering from epidermolysis bullosa, Kanaani said in a post on his Twitter account.

Washington's maximum pressure and sanctions on Iran have not excluded the women and mothers in the country, he added.

The U.S. sanctions against Iran have intensified since 2018, when Washington pulled out of the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and world powers.

Although the U.S. claims that humanitarian items, including medicine and foodstuff, are not included in the sanctions list, its ban on Iran's oil exports and banking sector have in fact prevented the country from importing such goods.