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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US sanctions on Iran are illegitimate, disproportionate, unjust, and harmful, United Nations Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy said on Wednesday, stressing innocent people must not be made to suffer in the “generalization of economic war”.
Jazairy, who was appointed in 2015 by the Human Rights Council as the first Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, said Washington’s unilateral actions undermine the UN Charter.
“The reimposition of sanctions against Iran after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, which had been unanimously adopted by the Security Council with the support of the US itself, lays bare the illegitimacy of this action,” Jazairy said in a statement Wednesday.
“This illegitimacy was confirmed by the opposition of all other permanent members of the Security Council and indeed of all international partners. The UN Charter calls for sanctions to be applied only by the UN Security Council precisely to ensure such wanton attacks on nations are avoided.”
US President Donald Trump withdrew America from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) in May, arguing the deal, also signed by European powers, Russia, and China, did not go far enough to prevent Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon.
A raft of sanctions targeting Iran’s trade, banking, and oil sectors have been reintroduced and will be applied in stages. Besides curtailing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the sanctions are also designed to pressure the Iranian government to end it interference in regional conflicts.
Even before the first round of sanctions kicked in, Iran’s currency lost 40 percent of its value since May, placing huge economic strain on ordinary Iranians.
“International sanctions must have a lawful purpose, must be proportional, and must not harm the human rights of ordinary citizens, and none of these criteria is met in this case,” Jazairy said.
“These unjust and harmful sanctions are destroying the economy and currency of Iran, driving millions of people into poverty and making imported goods unaffordable,” Jazairy stressed
He asked whether the US will provide food and medicines to the millions of Iranians no longer able to afford them.
“The current system creates doubt and ambiguity which makes it all but impossible for Iran to import these urgently needed humanitarian goods. This ambiguity causes a ‘chilling effect’ which is likely to lead to silent deaths in hospitals as medicines run out, while the international media fail to notice,” Jazairy said.
“I appeal to the United States to demonstrate its commitment to allow agricultural commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices into Iran by taking real and concrete steps to ensure that banks, financial institutions and companies can quickly and freely be assured that relevant imports and payments are permitted,” he said.
European signatories of the Iran nuclear deal are fighting to keep the deal afloat, arguing Iran has met all of its commitments. They are concerned about the impact of sanctions on European business interests.
“I am grateful for the efforts of the European Union in tackling this injustice, both through diplomatic efforts and through legislation to protect European companies from American sanctions. I sincerely hope that the international community can come together to see that the world does not become a battleground for generalized economic war,” said Jazairy.
Together with a raft of US sanctions and trade tariffs imposed on Turkey, Russia, and China, Jazairy warned against the growing trend towards generalized economic war at a global level.
Sanctions on Iran have polarized opinion in the Middle East – nowhere more so than Iraq. Baghdad is a close US ally and entirely dependent on US banks to grow its economy. However, the Shiite establishment now ruling Iraq enjoys close ties and sympathies with Tehran stretching back to the Saddam Hussein era.
Iraq also knows from bitter experience how harsh economic sanctions can be. After Saddam’s 1991 invasion of Kuwait and the resulting First Gulf War, the UN Security Council placed a comprehensive embargo on Iraq. The resulting collapse of infrastructure, shortages of medical supplies, and currency crisis caused intense suffering among civilians.
In spite of the squeeze, Saddam was able to remain in power until the 2003 invasion.
Jazairy, who was appointed in 2015 by the Human Rights Council as the first Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, said Washington’s unilateral actions undermine the UN Charter.
“The reimposition of sanctions against Iran after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, which had been unanimously adopted by the Security Council with the support of the US itself, lays bare the illegitimacy of this action,” Jazairy said in a statement Wednesday.
“This illegitimacy was confirmed by the opposition of all other permanent members of the Security Council and indeed of all international partners. The UN Charter calls for sanctions to be applied only by the UN Security Council precisely to ensure such wanton attacks on nations are avoided.”
US President Donald Trump withdrew America from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) in May, arguing the deal, also signed by European powers, Russia, and China, did not go far enough to prevent Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon.
A raft of sanctions targeting Iran’s trade, banking, and oil sectors have been reintroduced and will be applied in stages. Besides curtailing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the sanctions are also designed to pressure the Iranian government to end it interference in regional conflicts.
Even before the first round of sanctions kicked in, Iran’s currency lost 40 percent of its value since May, placing huge economic strain on ordinary Iranians.
“International sanctions must have a lawful purpose, must be proportional, and must not harm the human rights of ordinary citizens, and none of these criteria is met in this case,” Jazairy said.
“These unjust and harmful sanctions are destroying the economy and currency of Iran, driving millions of people into poverty and making imported goods unaffordable,” Jazairy stressed
He asked whether the US will provide food and medicines to the millions of Iranians no longer able to afford them.
“The current system creates doubt and ambiguity which makes it all but impossible for Iran to import these urgently needed humanitarian goods. This ambiguity causes a ‘chilling effect’ which is likely to lead to silent deaths in hospitals as medicines run out, while the international media fail to notice,” Jazairy said.
“I appeal to the United States to demonstrate its commitment to allow agricultural commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices into Iran by taking real and concrete steps to ensure that banks, financial institutions and companies can quickly and freely be assured that relevant imports and payments are permitted,” he said.
European signatories of the Iran nuclear deal are fighting to keep the deal afloat, arguing Iran has met all of its commitments. They are concerned about the impact of sanctions on European business interests.
“I am grateful for the efforts of the European Union in tackling this injustice, both through diplomatic efforts and through legislation to protect European companies from American sanctions. I sincerely hope that the international community can come together to see that the world does not become a battleground for generalized economic war,” said Jazairy.
Together with a raft of US sanctions and trade tariffs imposed on Turkey, Russia, and China, Jazairy warned against the growing trend towards generalized economic war at a global level.
Sanctions on Iran have polarized opinion in the Middle East – nowhere more so than Iraq. Baghdad is a close US ally and entirely dependent on US banks to grow its economy. However, the Shiite establishment now ruling Iraq enjoys close ties and sympathies with Tehran stretching back to the Saddam Hussein era.
Iraq also knows from bitter experience how harsh economic sanctions can be. After Saddam’s 1991 invasion of Kuwait and the resulting First Gulf War, the UN Security Council placed a comprehensive embargo on Iraq. The resulting collapse of infrastructure, shortages of medical supplies, and currency crisis caused intense suffering among civilians.
In spite of the squeeze, Saddam was able to remain in power until the 2003 invasion.
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