UN Expert Says US Sanctions against Iran Violate Human Rights
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UN Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy railed against the administration of US President Donald Trump for re-imposition of sanctions on Iran, saying that the embargoes violate human rights and the norms of international behavior.
In a statement on Monday, Jazairy said the use of economic sanctions on Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela for political purposes "violates human rights and the norms of international behavior".
He said that such actions might precipitate man-made humanitarian catastrophes of unprecedented proportions, according to Xinhua.
"Regime change through economic measures likely to lead to the denial of basic human rights and indeed possibly to starvation has never been an accepted practice of international relations," said the special rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measure.
"Real concerns and serious political differences between governments must never be resolved by precipitating economic and humanitarian disasters, making ordinary people pawns and hostages thereof," said the UN expert.
The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran's export of enriched uranium, but at the same time renewed three key waivers that will allow its European allies, Russia and China to cooperate with the Islamic Republic on civil nuclear program.
The US administration also said in a statement on April 22 that, in a bid to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, buyers of Iranian oil must stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions. The move ended six months of waivers, which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers -- Turkey, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- to continue importing limited volumes.
