WANA (Sep 01) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei strongly criticized the European Union on Monday evening following its statement pledging to work alongside the United States and its allies to increase pressure on Iran.
Responding to the EU’s decision to support Washington’s economic campaign, Baghaei cited Étienne de La Boétie’s Discours de la servitude volontaire, noting that the philosopher identified a fundamental truth about the enablers of tyranny: domination is sustained not by force alone, but often through the acquiescence of those capable of acting independently.
Baghaei stated that Europe could no longer credibly speak of “strategic autonomy” while merely executing Washington’s orders. He emphasized that strategic autonomy is not secured through grandiose declarations, but realized through the capacity to decide independently and responsibly—even when those decisions diverge from the position of a greater power.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), the Iranian spokesperson asserted that Europe must choose whether to behave like an independent actor or to grow so accustomed to echoing another’s policies that it mistakes that echo for autonomy.
The remarks follow Washington’s recent launch of a renewed economic campaign against Iran—a policy Iranian officials have previously described as doomed to failure—and the EU’s public confirmation that it will align with U.S. pressure efforts.
