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News > Iran

UN Rapporteur Calls for Lifting US Sanctions on Iran

  •  Alena Douhan in Tehran, Iran, May 18, 2022.

    Alena Douhan in Tehran, Iran, May 18, 2022. | Photo: EFE

Published 18 May 2022
Opinion

“Applying extraterritorial sanctions on Iranian companies or companies working with Iran or paying Iran in U.S. dollars is illegal under international law,” the UN rapporteur emphasized.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan called on the United States to lift economic sanctions against Iran due to the negative effect they have on the Persian people.

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"I call on sanctioning states, particularly the United States, to abandon unilateral sanctions," she said and asked President Joe Biden’s administration to release about US$120 billion in Iranian assets frozen abroad.

During a 12-day visit to Iran, Douhan met with social leaders, businessmen, and diplomats to assess the consequences of the sanctions the U.S. reimposed on Iran in 2018.

"Unilateral sanctions have affected every aspect of Iranian life. Human rights have been severely affected," she said, specifying that sanctions diminish the ability of international organizations to help the country's poorest sectors.

To illustrate the scope of the problem, Douhan explained that Iranian diplomats have trouble collecting their salaries in other countries. She herself had to bring cash to pay for the hotel, since international bank cards are blocked.

"I also remind the U.S. that no good intention will justify the violation of human rights. I urge the states that have frozen the assets of Iranian central bank to immediately unfreeze Iran's funds based on international law and humanitarian issues,” she pointed out.

Douhan recalled that the UN Security Council (UNSC) does not maintain punitive measures after the 2015 agreement that limited the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of multilateral sanctions. Only the United States, which withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal, keeps sanctions against Iran, most of which are illegal.

“Applying extraterritorial sanctions on Iranian companies or companies working with Iran or paying Iran in U.S. dollars is illegal under international law,” the UN rapporteur emphasized.

Douhan’s visit comes amid negotiations to save the nuclear pact, which are paralyzed since mid-March, after almost a year of discussions.

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