UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- Iran has called on the UN Security Council to hold certain states responsible for using economic sanctions as a method of war against other countries’ civilian populations.
Majid Takht Ravanchi, Tehran’s permanent ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council that Iran, for decades, has been the target of economic and financial sanctions by the U.S.
He made the remarks on Thursday while addressing an open debate at the council on strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of the international law.
Takht Ravanchi underlined that the U.S.’ economic and financial sanctions on Iran directly endangered the lives of its most vulnerable population.
The U.S. left a historic nuclear deal between Iran and world countries in 2018, returning the illegal and unilateral sanctions that the accord had lifted.
In the same year, Iran took the case of the sanctions to the International Court of Justice, which unanimously issued an order on provisional measures requiring Washington to remove any sanction on the imports of humanitarian goods into the Islamic Republic.
“Unfortunately, the United States has not only failed to comply with the Court’s order but also defied it by imposing additional sanctions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the UN’s website cited Takht Ravanchi as saying during the debate.
The Iranian ambassador said the sanctions have even caused the deaths of some Iranian patients, including children, as a result of restrictions on medicine and medical supplies.
The envoy also said the UN Security Council has fallen short of performing its duty to properly address some serious violations of the

international law, particularly the illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Sanctions on Syria

Another senior Iranian diplomat on Saturday condemned the West for the imposition of unilateral and unlawful sanctions on the Syrian people censuring the international community for its inaction.
Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior aide on political affairs to Iran’s foreign minister, made the remarks during a meeting between representatives of Astana guarantor states in the Syrian peace process, including Russia and Turkey, and United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.
Khaji slammed the West for “unilateral and illegal sanctions against Syrian people” and saying no to Syria’s reconstruction until there is a transition away from President Bashar al-Assad.
He also condemned the Zionist regime’s growing attacks targeting Syrian infrastructure and civilian areas amid international communities’ inaction.
Pedersen, for his part, thanked Iran, Russia, and Turkey for their cooperation and support for continued consultations with the Syrian constitutional committee.
The senior UN official touched on the latest round of talks among Syrian parties within the framework of the constitutional committee talks, saying that the “encouraging and positive ambiance” could “pave the way for better results in the future”.
The senior diplomats of the three guarantor states also outlined their views regarding the recent developments in Syria and expressed concern over the uptick in the suffering of the Syrian people.
The committee, comprising representatives of Syria’s government, opposition, and civil society, is facilitated by the United Nations and seeks to reconcile the Syrian government headed by President Assad and the Syrian opposition, in the context of the Syrian peace process.
The UN hopes that this would lead to negotiations which would subsequently lead to a peaceful end of the Syria war.