TEHRAN – Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York has denounced all sanctions, unilateral or multilateral, as having adverse consequences for civilians. 

In a statement issued on Monday, the mission outlined Iran’s position regarding the humanitarian and unintended consequences of sanctions. 

The statement said, “Sanctions, according to the Secretary-General, disproportionately harm the most vulnerable and often the most innocent parts of the society. All sanctions, unilateral or multilateral, have adverse consequences for civilian populations, disproportionately affecting the children, women, elderly, sick, and poor. Sanctions also bring about grave humanitarian consequences.  In a pandemic crisis like COVID-19, sanctions give rise to far-reaching repercussions, placing the health and lives of civilian populations in peril more than others.”

It added, “Furthermore, humanitarian actors usually face difficulties working under the environment dominated by sanctions. Unintended effects of such measures can stymie the delivery of life-saving humanitarian supplies where they are needed most, wreaking havoc on populations. While Article 41 of the UN Charter empowers the Security Council to impose sanctions, the Security Council's mandate is limited by Article 24, which states that ‘in discharging its duties, the Security Council shall act in accordance with the United Nations' purposes and principles.’ In simple words, the Security Council is not above international law, and its sanction’s authority should be exercised in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter.”

The statement continued, “In this context, the imposition by the Security Council of sanctions that amount to ‘collective punishment’ and result in widespread death and suffering among innocent people violates the Charter and is thus ultra vires. It is deeply regrettable that the authority and powers of the Security Council have been repeatedly abused by certain States who, in pursuance of their own illegitimate political objectives particularly against developing countries, regard sanctions as their preferred tools to exert maximum pressure on those countries.”

The statement pointed out, “Such behavior constitutes not only a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and basic principles of international law, but also a sign of disrespect for the authority and powers of the Council, undermining its integrity and effectiveness.”

Iran has been suffering from blanket economic sanctions ever since 2018 when the Trump administration pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions against Iran that caused so many sufferings to ordinary Iranians. 

The statement continued, “We believe that nothing in the UN Charter can be interpreted as authorizing unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to general principles of international law, breach the prohibition on interfering in the internal affairs of other states, and violate their sovereignty. Disregarding their international obligations and violating the UN Charter and international law, certain Member States are spearheading the application of applying unilateral coercive measures against other countries. The imposition of such unlawful measures against the Iranian people is a case in point.”

It stated, “Iran has been under harshest economic and financial sanctions imposed by the U.S. for decades, unprecedented in history. These illegal actions have directly impacted the lives of Iran's most vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly and patients. It is a sad reality that some patients, including children suffering from rare diseases, have lost their precious lives as a result of sanctions on imported medicine and medical supplies.”

The statement noted, “The illegality of such inhumane measures is clearly underlined by the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures, who states that ‘while the right of States to disagree should be respected, harming the human rights of ordinary civilians should not be used as a means of political pressure on a targeted Government. This is an infringement on international human rights law.’ We believe that unilateral coercive measures, whether in the form of unilateral sanctions or restrictive measures, that target civilian populations as part of a widespread or systematic policy and create undue suffering constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including human rights and international humanitarian law.”

The statement concluded, “As our President stated in his address to the 76th UNGA session, ‘imposing unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, particularly sanctions on medicine and humanitarian items, are criminal acts on par with committing crimes against humanity. Sanctioning countries should not go unpunished for such heinous crimes.’”