Press TV - Iran's Foreign Ministry has denounced a resolution passed by the European Parliament, which accuses Tehran of mishandling the recent fuel price protests, arguing that the legislature's account has been based on a set of twisted facts and unfounded documentation.

Ministry's Spokesman Abbas Mousavi told IRNA on Monday that the December 19 resolution was �an impetuous and unconstructive move based on the distortion of the realities on the ground.�
Mousavi expressed regret that the purported evidence presented in the document were based on misleading and false information provided by unreliable sources, mostly hostile groups, some of them terrorist in nature.
The deliberately twisted facts, he added, had been piled up with malicious political intentions.

The Iranian government raised gasoline prices last month in order to moderate the national consumption rate, which stood at 110 million liters per day, 40 million liters per day above the maximum domestic requirement.

The move prompted peaceful public protests in a number of cities, but riotous elements took advantage of the situation, destroying public property, and setting ablaze banks and gas stations. There were even instances of rogue elements opening fire on people and security forces.

An official tally on the fatalities from the wave of unrest is not yet available.

The European Parliament�s resolution claimed that the protesters hailed �from all over Iran and representing all segments of society.�

It also made allegations of �disproportionate use of force by Iranian security forces against non-violent protesters.�

The spokesperson described those targeting civilians and civil structures as stooges and infiltrators enjoying the support of certain foreign intelligence services, who had sought to take advantage of the protests.

He hailed the Islamic Republic as a democratic establishment, which recognizes freedom of expression as well as the right to protest and peaceful assembly, but noted that Tehran would rightfully confront any armed elements seeking to inflict human or material losses.

Mousavi, meanwhile, advised against the application of double standards and politically-charged approaches to the issue of human rights.

"How come the European Parliament chose to remain silent in the face of the United States� immoral and illegal sanctions, which have targeted over 80 million Iranians?" he exclaimed.

He wondered if the European entity had adopted a similar approach in its treatment of France�s crackdown on protesters, which left a number of them dead and impaired, or in its approach towards certain European countries� outright discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities.