TEHRAN -- The secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights on Monday strongly slammed unilateral sanctions imposed on countries by world powers as crime against humanity.

Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a meeting with Şeref Malkoç, the president of the Organization of Islamic Countries’ Ombudsman Association (OIOCA) here.  

Describing unilateral sanctions imposed on countries as “crime against humanity” and a form of “economic war,” the Iranian rights official lauded the Turkish government’s firm opposition to such bans. He added, “Such sanctions are illegal and contravene human rights and affect Iran’s neighbors as well.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Gharibabadi touched on the issue of terrorism, describing Iran as the biggest victim of terrorism.

“It is necessary for those countries who are faced with the phenomenon of terrorism to engage in serious cooperation in order to fight this ominous scourge. Due to common terrorist threats posed to Iran and Turkey, the two countries need to bolster cooperation in fighting terrorism,” he said.

Gharibabadi also criticized Western countries’ double standards in dealing with terrorism, saying, “On the one hand, they accuse Iran of violating human rights, but on the other, they martyr 17,000 innocent Iranian citizens through terrorism or violate the rights of millions of Iranians through imposition of unilateral sanctions and jeopardize their right to life.”

For his part, Malkoç pointed to cordial relations between the Iranian and Turkish nations and governments and said the two countries enjoy numerous commonalities in historical, economic, political and cultural fields.

Iran and Turkey should promote relations in all areas, particularly in human rights, he added.

He said terrorism has been created through the support of certain countries and has plagued Muslim countries, noting that Tehran and Ankara enjoy good level of cooperation to fight the scourge.  

The Turkish official said some countries use sanctions as a war weapon, reiterating his country’s principled stance on opposing unilateral bans.

Iran and Turkey have both been hit by US sanctions.