00:00Welcome to Tell Us Your English.
00:01Join us as we go live to the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly, underway in this
00:06moment, regarding the elimination of extraterritorial coercive measures.
00:10Let's listen to the representative of Iran.
00:13Iran continues to be severely affected by unilateral sanctions.
00:19I would first elaborate on the legal aspects, second provide certain objective examples
00:24on the adverse effects, and finally explain our views on why the international community
00:32of states must address them effectively leading to their elimination.
00:39First from legal perspective, imposition and application of the unilateral sanctions is
00:44a gross violation of the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
00:49They materially breach the purposes of the United Nations, particularly those set out
00:55in Paragraph 2 and 3 of the Charter's Article 1, namely to develop friendly relations among
01:02nations, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic,
01:09social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and promoting and encouraging respect for
01:15human rights.
01:17Similarly, introduction and application of the unilateral sanctions is a flagrant violation
01:23of the principle of the United Nations, particularly those set forth in Paragraph 1 and 2 of the
01:29Charter's Article 2.
01:31There are sovereign equality of state and to fulfill in good faith obligations assumed
01:38by member states under the Charter.
01:42That's why, according to the 1970 Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning
01:47friendly relations and cooperation among states in accordance with the Charter of the United
01:54Nations, all states shall refrain from using of military, political, economic, or any other
02:01type of measures to coerce another state in order to obtain from it the subordination
02:08of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure from it advantages of any kind.
02:16Similarly, imposition of the unilateral sanctions contravenes principles and norms of international
02:23human rights law.
02:25They violate Common Article 1 of the Twin Covenants on Civil and Political and Economic,
02:32Social, and Cultural Rights, according to which, I quote,
02:37in no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence, end of quote.
02:45They also materially breach Article 47 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
02:51Rights, as well as Article 25 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural
02:59Rights, according to which, nothing therein, and I quote,
03:04shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize
03:11fully and freely their national wealth and resources, end of quote.
03:17Unilateral sanctions also contradicts the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the
03:23highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as set out in Article 12.1
03:30of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
03:34Equally, unilateral sanctions violate the inherent right of every human being to life,
03:41as reaffirmed by Article 6.1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
03:48no derogation, therefore, is permitted, according to Article 4.2.
03:57While unilateral sanctions adversely affect and violate many other human rights, from
04:04right to work, to shelter, to decent environment, and to education, I suffice mentioning only
04:11the aforesaid examples.
04:14Mr. President, now I would like to provide a few objective examples of the detrimental
04:21effects of unilateral sanctions to illustrate the severity of their negative impact across
04:29various domains, including, but not limited to, the right to health, the right to development,
04:36right to education, right to welfare, and in general, the right to life of the targeted
04:43nations.
04:45One, patients with chronic diseases face severe shortages of life-saving medications due to
04:54restrictions on their import as a result of unilateral sanctions.
05:00Likewise, sanctions prevent the adequate import of medical equipment and hinder the proper
05:08functioning of hospitals and health care facilities.
05:15These shortages combined result in a significant increase in mortality rate among patients,
05:22particularly children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
05:27Two, in this context, I must refer to devastating impact of sanctions on patients suffering
05:35from EB, a rare and debilitating skin disease.
05:42Why such patients need a specific bone dressing for treatment, unilateral sanctions, extremely
05:50restrict the import of such dressings.
05:54This has not only exacerbated the suffering of the EB patients in my country, but also
06:02has resulted in a remarkable increase in mortality rate among EB patients.
06:10As we are approaching the anniversary of Saddam's 1987 attack on the Iranian city of Sardash
06:16with chemical weapons, I must also refer to the sufferings of the victims of chemical
06:22weapons as a result of the sanctions.
06:26Just one example among thousands is the dire need of a 43-year-old Iranian woman for a
06:33certain medicine.
06:35When she was wounded in Sardash with chemical agent, she was only seven years old.
06:43To breathe normally, she needs a certain medicine that cannot be imported because all possible
06:51ways are blocked by sanctions.
06:56Back in 1987, she was the victim of chemical agents provided to Saddam by Western countries
07:03and now is the victim of sanctions imposed by the same Western states.
07:09Yet such states continue to shed crocodile tears for the status of women in my country.
07:18As the special reporter on unilateral coercive measures has highlighted, sanctions have adverse
07:25impacts on persons with disabilities as well as on those suffering from rare or severe
07:31diseases who are in need of sustained medical attention, who are the most vulnerable in
07:39the face of these unilateral sanctions.
07:43Her report emphasizes that such measures and the absence of adequate and sufficient medical
07:49assistance and treatment for persons with disabilities as well as for patients with
07:55severe and rare diseases resulted in growing mortality rate, reduced life expectancy, and
08:04deteriorated overall health conditions.
08:09Unilateral sanctions also stifle economic growth, hinder development projects, and deprive
08:16individuals of their means of subsistence, perpetuating poverty and equality.
08:24Likewise, they increase mortality rates among vulnerable segments of society, including
08:30children, pregnant women, and elderly due to the lack of access to basic necessities
08:38like food, medicine, and health care.
08:42Mr. President, I would like to turn to this question that why the international community
08:48of the state must pay serious attention to the horrifying trend of introduction and application
08:54of unilateral sanctions.
08:57This is necessary and urgent because, one, by any measure unilateral sanctions are inhumane,
09:05immoral, and unlawful.
09:07They are but a brutal collective punishment of targeted nations for their determination
09:13to exercise their inherent right to self-determination, recognized in Article I of the UN Charter
09:21as well as Article I of the Twin Covenants on Civil and Political and Economic, Social
09:28and Cultural Rights.
09:30Human rights are not realized in a vacuum.
09:33Rather, it can be realized only if the necessary conditions are created, as has rightly been
09:41stated in the preamble of the both Covenant on Civil and Political and Economic and Social
09:47and Cultural Rights.
09:49Such conditions cannot be created, at least satisfactorily, in countries targeted by unilateral
09:57sanctions, as sanctions in their area prevent such a state from using their resources, disrupt
10:04their economic and trade relations, and prevent them from importing their basic needs like
10:11food and medicines.
10:14Countries introducing sanctions weaponize food, medicine, medical equipment, and the
10:20like to further their narrow national policies.
10:25Unilateral sanctions continue to destroy the fabrics of multilateralism, the United Nations
10:32at its center, seriously breach the letter and spirit of the United Nations Charter,
10:40reject cooperation and foment confrontation, and instead of promoting friendly relations,
10:47cause hatred and hostility.
10:52All these alarming realities continue to undermine the very essence and spirit of this organization
10:59and its Charter, which first and foremost are funded on such lofty values of inclusion,
11:07cooperation, peaceful coexistence, good neighborliness, solidarity, freedom, and justice.
11:15Unilateral sanctions are nothing but economic war and terrorism, restrict the access of
11:22targeted nations to essential goods and services, exacerbate economic hardship and poverty,
11:30undermine the well-being of civilians and ordinary people, perpetuate a cycle of poverty,
11:38inequality, and human sufferings, and the worst is that target the most vulnerable segments
11:45of targeted societies the most.
11:48We must not allow this dangerous trend of unilateralism to undermine the rule of law,
11:57multilateralism, and our collective endeavor to promote peace, prosperity, solidarity,
12:04and friendship among nations.
12:07This is what we owe to the present and upcoming generations of our society.
12:15If unchecked, the Western states who continue to race to the bottom of imposing more brutal
12:22sanctions on more nations will ultimately evolve unilateral sanctions to actual economic
12:30blockade against targeted states, the living example of which is the 70-year-old unlawful
12:38and inhuman blockade on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli regime.
12:43Where Israel now is weaponizing food, water, medicine, and other life-saving aid needed
12:52by civilian populations and uses starvation as a method of war.
12:58I must stress that despite the claims of the Western states, there are no so-called humanitarian
13:07exemptions for sanctions.
13:10Such a fake and hypocritical term is coined by the U.S. and other Western states merely
13:17to purportedly hide the inhuman nature of their sanctions.
13:24These terms are but sheer lies and deceptions.
13:29In conclusion, Mr. President, I must stress that the international community of states
13:35must condemn and reject unilateral economic coercive measures.
13:42This is needed in support of promoting fundamental and inherent rights and well-being of our
13:48nation, the rule of law, inclusion, and true multilateralism.
13:55This indeed is a collective responsibility and my delegation is prepared to actively
14:01contribute to the fulfillment of this responsibility.
14:05I thank you, Mr. President.
14:35Thank you.
