Iran: US unilateral sanctions to violate basic human rights
Iran’s envoy to the United Nations slammed Washington’s ‘morally wrong’ measures against other countries, saying that unilateral sanctions amount to collective punishment and violate basic human rights.
Gholamali Khoshroo on Monday regretted that the US “is addicted to sanctions” and sees it “as a tool in its toolbox in pursuance of its own national interests.”
“The morally wrong and ethically unjustified unilateral measures not only defy the rule of law at the international level but also infringe upon the right to development and lead to the violation of basic human rights,” Khoshroo said, Press TV reported.
He made the remarks in an address to the Sixth Committee of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly on ‘Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization’.
The Iranian envoy further noted that Tehran welcomes a report by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, particularly where it says unilateral sanctions, aggravated by secondary sanctions seeking the “economic isolation” of the target country, amount to discrimination against the innocent population of the country concerned.”
“Coercive measures often lead to collective punishment of innocent civilians and violation of human rights,” he noted, blasting the US’ measures against the Islamic Republic, which have hit innocent civilians on the contrary to what American officials claim.
US President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was pulling out of the nuclear agreement which lifted nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The US administration reintroduced the previous sanctions while imposing new ones on the Islamic Republic. It also introduced punitive measures – known as secondary sanctions – against third countries doing business with Iran.
A first round of American sanctions took effect in August, targeting Iran’s access to the US dollar, metals trading, coal, industrial software, and auto sector. A second round, forthcoming on November 4, will be targeting Iran’s oil sales and its Central Bank.