TEHRAN — In his 13th report submitted to the United Nations Security Council on Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the United States to lift the sanctions outlined in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was concluded by China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and the European Union with the Islamic Republic of Iran on 14 July 2015, was the result of tireless diplomatic efforts over several years. On 20 July 2015, the Security Council adopted resolution 2231 (2015), in which the Council endorsed the Plan and called upon all Member States, regional organizations and international organizations to support its implementation,” the report written by the UN chief said. 

Guterres also pointed out in his report that it is his steadfast belief that the JCPOA is “the best available option to achieve non-proliferation and regional security, in a manner that delivers tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people.” 

Guterres says the international community remains supportive of the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

“Now more than ever, I am convinced that diplomatic solutions provide the only path to enduring peace and security,” the report reiterated. 

He then noted that the importance of restoring the JCPOA should not be underestimated, nor should the positive impact of its restoration on the global non-proliferation architecture.

“I again call upon the United States to also lift or waive its sanctions as outlined in the Plan and to extend the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Guterres highlighted. 

According to the UN chief, the international community remains supportive of the JCPOA and UNSCR resolution 2231, issued in 2015. 

“In this regard, the ongoing bilateral and regional initiatives to improve relationships with the Islamic Republic of Iran remain key to supporting the Plan and resolution. These initiatives, which should be encouraged and built upon, may help to achieve regional stability, as well as to support the restoration of the Plan. Furthermore, it is important for Member States, and their economic operators, to engage in trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran using the available trade instruments in order to address ongoing challenges, including those resulting from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” the report added. 

Under immense sanctions, Iran is struggling with the United States’ sanctionomania. In her visit to Tehran in May, Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, observed a plethora of disturbing cases regarding the United States’ unilateral sanctions that have affected the daily lives of the ordinary Iranians. 

She stressed that unilateral sanctions have endangered the human rights situation in Iran, and damaged the livelihoods of the people, mostly the vulnerable classes of the society. 

Issues such as children diagnosed with cancer, EB patients, thalassemia patients, and chemical warfare victims in Iran must be of critical importance to the global community, but they are not, the UN official lamented. 

“Iran have been subjected to unilateral sanctions for a long time. The U.S. has imposed economic and trade sanctions on Iran from 1970s. These expanded in 2000s. The U.S. sanctions now consists Iran’s central bank,” Douhan added in her press briefing in Tehran on May 17.

She then highlighted that despite the conclusion of the JCPOA, which is endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the U.S. still bans trade and investment in Iran and this is illegal.

“Most foreign international companies have left Iran,” Douhan added, noting that based on her observations, Iran's frozen assets are estimated at $120 billion.

“I need to mention that the sanctions have affected academic and sports situation, as well as the low-income sector of Iran,” she explained. 

“The least of my recommendation to the sanctioning states is to observe the human rights situation in Iran, and adhere to international law,” the UN Special Rapporteur suggested. 

Douhan then went on to explain that her task is to show facts, “which sometimes are horrible.”