Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, strongly condemned the intensification of the economic blockade against Cuba and the continued pressure imposed on the country by the United States, expressing solidarity with the Cuban government and people.   Referring to more than 64 years of the US economic embargo on Cuba, which has resulted in widespread humanitarian and material consequences and gross violations of the fundamental human rights of the Cuban people, Baghaei stated that the economic sanctions against Cuba constitute a clear violation of the fundamental principles and rules of the United Nations Charter and international law. He emphasized that such measures particularly contravene the right of peoples to self-determination, the principle of respect for national sovereignty, and the prohibition of interference in the internal affairs of states.   The United States, he added, must be held accountable for its continued and systematic violation of these principles and for the extensive infringement of the human rights of the Cuban people, which is tantamount to a crime against humanity.