Iran UN Envoy Raps Unilateral Sanctions as Crime against Humanity
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations slammed the unilateral sanctions as crime against humanity, particularly the sanctions restricting access to medicine and humanitarian goods.
Addressing a UN session in New York on Tuesday, Majid Takht Ravanchi said none of the provisions of the UN Charter can be interpreted as permission for unilateral sanctions because such coercive measures are contrary to the general principles of international law and violate the prohibition on interfering in the countries’ domestic affairs.
He also complained that some UN member states –in breach of their international obligations– are the frontrunners in the use of illegal restrictive measures against other nations.
“For decades, Iran has been under the most severe economic and financial sanctions slapped by the United States. This has been unprecedented in history. The illegal measures have directly affected the lives of the most vulnerable Iranian citizens, including children, the elderly, and patients,” the Iranian envoy added.
“It is a sad fact that some patients, including children with rare diseases, have lost their lives as a result of sanctions on the import of medicines and medical supplies,” he noted.
Takht Ravanchi further noted that unilateral coercive measures target the civilian population as part of a systematic policy and inflict suffering on people, Press TV reported.
All sanctions, unilateral or multilateral, have adverse consequences for ordinary people and disproportionately affect children, women, patients, the elderly, and the poor, he said, adding that the bans also put people’s lives at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid where it is most needed.
Additionally, the ambassador expressed regret that some countries, which pursue their own illegitimate political interests, consider sanctions their preferred means of exerting maximum pressure on developing states.
“As the president of our country said in his speech at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, especially those on medicines and humanitarian items, are equal to committing crimes against humanity. The countries imposing sanctions on others should not go unpunished for their heinous crimes,” he emphasized.