UN special rapporteur urges US to lift unilateral sanctions

The UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Douhan, who has traveled to Iran from 8 to 18, attended a press conference on Wednesday.

Referring to her meetings with Iranian officials to assess the impact of US sanctions on the human rights situation in Iran, she thanked the Iranian government and the Human Rights Council for facilitating her trip.

Since the 1970s, the United States has imposed heavy financial and trade sanctions on Iran to isolate the country from the world financial and commercial system, Douhan said.

She went on to say that under the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal known as JCPOA all secondary sanctions were lifted and the United Nations made some steps including investing in Iran.

The UN special rapporteur further added that in 2018 the United States unilaterally withdrew from JCPOA and imposed sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank of Iran, and many companies withdrew from the Iranian market.

According to Douhan, under the sanction $100 to120 billion of Iranian assets became frozen, and more than 700 Iranian individuals and entities were subject to the sanctions. In addition, Canada placed more than 200 Iranian individuals and entities on its sanctions list.

Referring to the impact of sanctions on the situation of Iran's society, she said that the sanctions brought about difficult living conditions for vulnerable groups and families.

Low-income families, patients with special diseases, female-headed households, and immigrants are the most vulnerable groups to unilateral sanctions, she explained, adding that Iran's non-exemptions for medical supplies is a violation of international law.

Unilateral coercive measures as punishment violate international human rights standards, she also said, adding that putting sanctions on companies that had trade relations with Iran and the imposition of secondary sanctions is illegal.

In the view of the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council, the sanctions imposed on Iran are unjustifiable, she said, criticizing that unilateral, primary, and secondary sanctions have all jeopardized the human rights situation in Iran.

Urging all parties to live up to their obligations under the UN Charter, she called on the United States to immediately lift all unilateral sanctions according to international laws.

"I urge governments to release all blocked assets of Iran's central bank so that the government can fulfill its human rights obligations," she argued.