Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, in a message to the European Union, has deplored the 27-nation bloc for blindly following the dictate of the United States, by renouncing its own independence and proclaimed values.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in a post on his X network on Tuesday, Baqaei responded to the European Union's statement in support of the US sanctions regime and economic war against Iran, saying the bloc has reduced its role to that of 'an executor of American orders.'

He explained the EU move, citing "Discours de la servitude volontaire" (Discourse on Voluntary Servitude), a 16th-century treatise of French philosopher ‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°tienne de La Bo©tie, which he said 'identifies a fundamental truth about the enablers of tyranny.'

'Domination is not sustained by force alone; it often endures through the acquiescence of those who are capable of acting independently,' he wrote, adding, 'Europe can no longer speak of 'strategic autonomy' while merely executing Washington's orders.'

Baqaei emphasized that 'strategic autonomy is not secured by grandiose declarations. It is realized through the capacity to decide independently and responsibly - even if those decisions diverge from the position of a greater power.'

He reminded Europe in his post that it had a choice between behaving 'like an independent actor' or growing 'so accustomed to echoing another's policies that it mistakes that echo for autonomy.'