Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized comments by former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for intensified economic pressure on Iran.

In remarks posted on X on Saturday, Baghaei wrote, "Nancy Pelosi calls on the US administration to ‘cripple` Iran`s economy so ordinary Iranians-even in rural areas-‘feel the pain.`"

"Deliberately inflicting pain & suffering on civilians for political leverage is the textbook definition of terrorism," he added, noting, "Only an evil & arrogant mindset can feel entitled to prescribe policies built on civilians` suffering in another country."

‘Crime against humanity`

"Legally speaking, this is further evidence of a deliberate & systematic US policy of exacting pain and cruelty on populations it disfavors. Such conduct amounts to ‘crime against humanity.`"

Pelosi had made the remarks while speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.

She identified further hardened American economic coercion towards Iran as a means of bringing about "regime fall" in the Islamic Republic.

Pelosi`s remarks have prompted reactions from several commentators.

Political analyst Trita Parsi rejected suggestions that the comments were a "slip of the tongue," arguing that they reflected the longstanding logic behind US sanctions policy.

Journalist Aaron Maté also addressed the remarks, writing on X that "a key target are ordinary Iranians who support their government." "What gives a politician in one country the right to make civilians in another country feel ‘pain?`"

Iranian officials have long denounced US sanctions as collective punishment targeting civilians.

Last month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged the impact of sanctions during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

In November 2018, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo also spoke about sanctions after Washington withdrew from a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and other countries and reinstated sanctions.

Iranian officials must listen to the US "if they want their people to eat," he said at the time.