US sanctions amid pandemic reach brink of crime against humanity: Iran

Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations says Washington has crossed the red lines of economic and medical terrorism by continuing to impose sanctions on various countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, and reached the brink of "crime against humanity."

Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks during a meeting on the “impact of unilateral coercive measures on global confrontation with the coronavirus" in New York on Tuesday.

“While the world is grappling with the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and countries are working to boost cooperation and solidarity to help each other in this critical situation, the United States has expanded and intensified its unilateral and illegal action against countries that are largely plagued by the virus,” Takht-Ravanchi said.

The Iranian ambassador added that, “It is the right of all countries to have access to medicines, equipment and supplies needed to prevent the coronavirus spread but the unilateral action by the United States has created a serious obstacle to its realization.”

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Lashing out at the US’s restrictive measures, Takht-Ravanchi said “Washington has made groundless claims that the sanctions do not include food, medicine and medical equipment but [the fact of the matter is that] depriving a country of access to international trade and the global banking system will curb its entire abilities to access medicine, food and medical equipment through financial and trade mechanisms.”

The Tuesday meeting was initiated by the permanent missions of Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, Belarus, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe to the United Nations.

US President Donald Trump reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Iran after leaving a multilateral and historic nuclear accord between Iran major world powers, including Russia, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018.

Under the deal, the US administration had lifted its anti-Iran sanctions in return for the Islamic Republic making changes in its peaceful nuclear program.

Iran has sued the US at the International Court of Justice after the latter reinstated the sanctions, with the tribunal ruling that Washington has to lift the bans on Iran-headed humanitarian supplies.

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Washington alleges that it has exempted foodstuff and medicine from the bans. Tehran roundly rejects the claim.

Iran has now stepped up the production of its own medical equipment, such as producing ventilators needed for COVID-19 patients.

In March, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on the leaders of the G-20 economic powers to roll back international sanction regimes around the world, including the ones against Iran, amid the pandemic.

The novel virus can cause a potentially deadly infection called COVID-19. Since emerging in central China late last year, the virus has claimed more than 382,000 people worldwide, including some 8,000 in Iran.