US sanctions on Iran are illegal and must be lifted, UN rules

THE UN’S highest court yesterday handed Iran a legal victory over the US when it ordered the White House to roll back some of the sanctions imposed by Donald Trump.

Judges at the International Court of Justice ruled unanimously that parts of the sanctions the United States imposed on Iran in May were illegal and must be removed.

The Iranian government hailed the ruling as proof that “Iran is in the right”, but it is unlikely that the US will abide by the court’s decision to roll back sanctions that would affect Iran’s ability to import medicine, food and spare parts necessary for airline safety.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, said the US was not bound by the court’s decision but that it was already taking steps to ensure humanitarian goods still reached Iran.

“We’re disappointed that the court failed to recognise it has no jurisdiction on these sanctions measures,” he said.

In a 29-page ruling, the judges said that US sanctions could stop Iran importing humanitarian items and have “a serious detrimental impact on the health and lives of individuals in Iran”.

Mr Trump, the US president, ordered a first round of punishing sanctions on Iran in May after he pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear agreement earlier this year. A second round of tougher sanctions is due to go into force next month, targeting countries that buy Iranian oil.

“The decision proved once again that the Islamic Republic is right and the US sanctions against people and citizens of our country are illegal and cruel,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The US must comply with its international commitments and lift obstacles to Iranian trade,” it added.

Iran petitioned the court in July, arguing that Mr Trump’s decision violated a 1955 treaty signed between the countries before they became foes after the Iranian revolution in 1979.

The US sanctions have already badly weakened Iran’s economy and sent the riyal spiralling to new lows against the dollar. Iran has demanded that European countries find a way to offset the economic damage that the sanctions cause.

Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, said yesterday Europe had taken “a big step” towards maintaining their business relations by setting up a special channel designed to allow firms to trade with Iran and avoid US sanctions.