Envoy Raps US Sanctions for Damaging Impacts on Iran’s Environment

Iran’s UN Ambassador Saeed Iravani sent a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on May 2 to warn against the detrimental effect of sanctions on Iran's environment and its people's ability to enjoy their right to a healthy and sustainable environment.

“These sanctions, which contravene international law and the United Nations Charter, have had a severe impact on the enjoyment of the right to a sustainable environment in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.

What follows is the text of the letter:

In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

Excellency,

Upon instructions from my Government, I would like to express our concerns regarding the negative impacts of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the protection of the environment in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this respect, I would like to bring to the attention of Your Excellency information concerning the imposition of unilateral sanctions by the United States through a series of executive orders, laws, and regulations against Iran and the Iranian people. These sanctions, which contravene international law and the United Nations Charter, have had a severe impact on the enjoyment of the right to a sustainable environment in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The United States of America has implemented a broad and complex network of illegal and unjust financial, economic, and trade sanctions against Iran, with the aim of isolating Iran from the financial mechanisms of a number of international environment agreements and imposing secondary sanctions against non-US parties that cooperate with Iran on environmental issues.

Unfortunately, the full impacts of such sanctions on Iran are magnified due to various factors. The compliance procedures for these sanctions are complex, time-consuming, and expensive, which leads to over-compliance by businesses and institutions. The extraterritorial enforcement of these sanctions and the fear of penalties for inadvertent violations have made many entities hesitant to cooperate with Iran, even when it is environmentally beneficial. This has resulted in a detrimental effect on Iran's environment and its people's ability to enjoy their right to a healthy and sustainable environment.

Like many countries in its region, Iran is facing numerous environmental challenges, including air and water pollution, soil erosion, water shortages, desertification, sand and dust storms, and biodiversity degradation. According to data from the World Health Organization, 24% of deaths in the region where Iran is located are linked to modifiable environmental factors. Unfortunately, US sanctions have exacerbated the existing environmental problems in Iran.

Sanctions imposed by the US restrict the ability of my Government to acquire necessary foreign investments and technologies, as well as goods and services, to address environmental issues in the country. Additionally, they block international funding from lending agencies, such as the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, as well as funding from banks and investors, that support environmental improvement projects. These projects include the building of large solar power plants and wind farms, among other renewable energy sources in Iran, to generate electricity. As a result, the percentage of Iran's budget devoted to environmental amelioration has diminished due to these sanctions.

US sanctions are a significant contributing factor to the environmental degradation in Iran, negatively affecting the Iranian people's rights to a healthy and sustainable environment, and to an adequate standard of living. It is a global responsibility to cooperate on promoting environmentally sound management and development, as well as on activities that contribute to the protection of human health and the environment. I stress that the unilateral sanctions of the US against Iran are designed in opposition to these aspirations by degrading the Iranians' right to health, to the extent that their right to life is being endangered.

It is important to note that Iran's domestic capabilities for developing, importing, and applying environmentally sound technologies have been hindered by the restrictions of these sanctions on the importation of equipment and technology, as well as other goods and services. The sanctions prevent investments and other forms of finance to address the country's environmental conditions, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, the sanctions impair the ability of Iranian scientists and scholars to engage in international cooperation projects and participate in courses where relevant knowledge on environmental issues is shared.

The United States must comply with its international obligations and duties under multiple treaties, inter alia, those derived from various international agreements and conventions, including UNFCCC, UNCCD, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Montreal Protocol on Ozone Layer, to protect and improve the global environment.

In light of the foregoing, the United States must lift all illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran that will harmfully impact the environment. In addition, the United States must bear responsibility for the consequences of such internationally wrongful acts. Furthermore, it must provide guarantees and assurances that it will not re-impose such illegal actions in the future.

The environment is generally assessed as a common heritage of mankind and an integral part of sustainable development. It is therefore expected that the negative impacts of Unilateral Coercive Measures in inhibiting the protection of the environment be adequately highlighted in the relevant UN reports.

I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the General Assembly, under the agenda item 18 on sustainable development.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.