TEHRAN -- Seven countries including Iran, Russia and China condemned the impact of unilateral sanctions on human rights and international cooperation, saying states imposing such measures must be held accountable.
The joint statement was read out by Abbas Bagherpour Ardekani, director-general for international legal affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) in Vienna.
“The states that are adopting, imposing, maintaining, or promulgating unilateral coercive measures shall be held accountable for the tragic consequences of such illegal and illegitimate actions,” the seven countries — Iran, Belarus, China, Cuba, Myanmar, Nicaragua and Russia — said in the statement.
Expressing deep concern and strong opposition to sanctions, particularly those with extraterritorial effects, they stressed such bans are contrary to the UN Charter and international law. 
They said unilateral coercive measures constitute clear interference in the sovereign affairs of states and undermine multilateralism and international cooperation.
The countries warned that illegal sanctions undermine states’ ability to combat transnational organized crime by restricting access to financial services, essential equipment, technology, technical assistance and capacity-building programs.
They said secondary sanctions and over-compliance by financial institutions have created additional obstacles to judicial cooperation and to national and regional plans to combat organized crime.
They called for the immediate, 

complete and unconditional lifting of unilateral coercive measures, warning that continued imposition has devastating and sometimes fatal consequences, exacerbating humanitarian and economic crises and jeopardizing food, energy and financial security. 
They urged all states to refrain from recognizing or enforcing such measures and to take legal and administrative steps to counter their extraterritorial effects.
Iran has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 1979, after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed monarchy.