UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- Iran’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations has warned of the adverse effects that unilateral American sanctions have on international peace as the world body’s General Assembly adopts a resolution against the nearly 60-year-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.
Zahra Ershadi said that the U.S. embargo inflicts hardship and suffering on Cubans, especially women and children, leading to harmful consequences for the country’s financial, banking, commercial, investment, tourism, health, educational and cultural sectors.
“Unilateral and coercive U.S. sanctions have adverse effects on the promotion of regional and international peace. They are also a fundamental obstacle to the establishment of world peace, prosperity and an international justice system, which are vital preconditions for sustainable development,” she said.
“For many years, the General Assembly has decisively voted in favor of resolutions calling for the lifting of US sanctions against Cuba. It has expressed its solidarity with the Cuban government and people, but the United States has over the past six decades slapped economic, trade, and financial bans that violate international law as well as its obligations under the UN Charter.”
In the meeting held in-person on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
The motion was approved for the 29th year in a row with 184 votes in favor, three abstentions and two no votes cast by the U.S. and the occupying regime of Israel.
Ershadi said that the Islamic Republic has, over the past four decades, experienced illegal U.S. sanctions, which have even targeted the imports of medicines and medical equipment into the country.
Through sanctions, the U.S. not only violates the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but also punishes other countries which honor their own commitments, she added.
At a time when all nations are mobilizing their efforts to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. coercive measures have severely hampered the fight against the disease.
“The international community must work to find solutions to counter such destructive and unilateral interventions. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in cooperation with friendly countries such as Cuba to meet this challenge,” the Iranian diplomat said. “The U.S. should immediately and fully comply with its international obligations and cease all its coercive unilateral measures.”
Additionally, Ershadi told a UN Security Council meeting on the

humanitarian situation in Syria that Iran, which has been subject to cruel bans for decades, condemns food and medicine sanctions.
She further noted that the restrictive measures on the import of food and medicines to Syria are “irresponsible, immoral and illegal” as they are prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, she said,
“These inhumane sanctions have delayed the return of refugees and hindered efforts to rebuild Syria,” she added. “Therefore, the complete lifting of unilateral sanctions should be one of the main subjects of any discussion regarding the humanitarian aspects of the Syria crisis.”