unilateral sanctions Archives - Iran News Daily

Sanctions undermining climate change control

reporter 1222 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 07:22:28 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday that discussed the effects of climate change on global peace and security, Majid Takht-Ravanchi described dealing with the negative dimensions of climate change as a “collective” responsibility and said all governments must fully implement their obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris climate accord.

The Iranian diplomat said, “Sanctions severely undermine the ability of a number of developing countries, such as Iran, to meet the challenges of climate change.”

“Unilateral US sanctions against Iran have not only prevented the country’s access to the necessary financial resources and technologies, but have also adversely affected the effective use of national capabilities to meet its obligations, and therefore these illegal and inhumane sanctions should be lifted,” he added.

The Paris agreement seeks to avert climate change by limiting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures by 2050. It also sets out a goal of reaching a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius, if possible.

Most scientists believe the world must cut emissions sharply and quickly in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming. China, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union (EU) have recently ramped up their carbon-cutting targets.

In November 2019, the administration of former US President Donald Trump presented Washington’s withdrawal letter to the UN, saying it would be officially out of the Paris accord on November 4, 2020, one day after the US election.

During the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Takht-Ravanchi stressed that developed countries have a greater responsibility to meet such challenges in view of their key role in climate change and their access to adequate technologies and financial resources, Press TV reported.

“Developed countries should not only be at the forefront of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and provide adequate financial support to developing countries but should also facilitate the transfer of climate-friendly technologies to these countries,” he told the meeting.

The Iranian envoy also said developing countries must live up to their commitments in accordance with their national capabilities and conditions, and reiterated that the international community must remove all obstacles to the effective implementation of their commitments, one of which is unilateral sanctions.

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Sanctions clear violation of UN Charter

reporter 1222 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 06:23:32 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The 48th Session of the UNIDO Industrial Development Board was held on Monday via videoconference with the aim of promoting and accelerating inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in developing countries and economies in transition. Addressing the session, Iran’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations Kazem Gharibabadi criticized the illegal unilateral sanctions and their consequences on the actions of developing countries in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.

Emphasizing the fundamental role of UNIDO in the activities and development programs of developing countries, he underlined the importance of multilateralism and inclusive cooperation between countries to achieve the development of the industrial community and creating a capable environment for the benefit and welfare of the all.

He stressed, “We must protect multilateralism as a value for industrialization and believe that there is a long way to go to achieve sustainable development and create a world with more prosperity and health for the people.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Gharibabadi pointed to the coronavirus and said that the fight against this epidemic requires a comprehensive, coordinated, and comprehensive multilateral response to support countries in need in order to enable them to take better compensatory measures.

While expressing deep concern about the serious consequences of the new disease for many developing countries, the Iranian diplomat said “We continue to see the use of unilateral sanctions against other countries; such sanctions are in clear violation of the goals and principles of the UN Charter, international law, and human rights as well as the principles of multilateralism and the norms of diplomacy and international relations.”

He called on the UNIDO members to cooperate to ensure the capacities and opportunities, as well as continued access of all developing countries to the equipment needed for the battle against the pandemic.

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Iran Slams Unilateral Sanctions on Syria

reporter 1222 — Wed, 27 May 2020 12:58:01 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A senior Iranian diplomat denounced the unilateral and inhumane sanctions that have been unilaterally imposed on Syria, calling for efforts to help the Syrian people amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Senior Assistant to Iran’s Foreign Minister in Special Political Affairs Ali-Asghar Khaji and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen discussed the latest political and on-the-ground developments in Syria, humanitarian issues, the Syrian people’s problems, and holding the next meeting of Syria’s Constitutional Committee.

They also stressed the necessity of providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria, particularly amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, helping the return of the displaced persons and refugees, and the continuation of the political process for the peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue.

In the conversation, the senior assistant to Iran foreign minister highlighted the illegality and inhumanity of the unilateral sanctions against Syria, calling for the removal of the sanctions.

Khaji also stressed the need for the restoration of stability and security to Syria and the fight against terrorism.

Since the outbreak of war and foreign militancy in Syria in 2011, Iran has stood by the Syrian government and supported its people against terrorist groups, including ISIS (ISIL).

The Syrian army has managed to liberate most of the areas occupied by terrorists over the past months and has begun the reconstruction process.

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Iran envoy to Brussels: EU must stop coping with US sanctions

reporter 1222 — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 04:01:25 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Ambassador to Brussels Gholamhossein Dehqani called on the European Union to oppose the continuation of the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran.

In a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday, Iran ambassador to Brussels described the devastating effects of the coronavirus outbreak on Iran and at the same time the effects of US illegal sanctions on Iran and urged the bloc’s member states to oppose the continuation of the sanctions reimposed by Washington on Iranians following its unilateral pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal, according to IRNA.

Referring to the shortage of vital medical equipment in Iran for fighting the pandemic, Dehqani also said Iran has lost some of its best doctors and nurses, as well as more than 3,000 citizens due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

“The US unilateral and illegal sanctions imposed on Iran under the guise of the maximum pressure campaign undermine Iran’s ability to effectively fight the virus in the long run without international support,” he warned.

Pointing to the virus outbreak in the world, he said it is not possible to get out of the coronavirus crisis except through collective action.

The EU foreign policy chief in a statement on Friday said sanctions should not stop the delivery of medical equipment and supplies to countries trying to contain outbreaks of coronavirus, the Guardian reported.

Borrell made his comments in a declaration in which he backed the UN’s call for an immediate global cease-fire to allow the world to focus on the pandemic.

“The European Union also stresses that sanctions should not impede the delivery of essential equipment and supplies necessary to fight the coronavirus and limit its spread worldwide,” he said.

The EU would apply humanitarian exceptions to ensure that sanctions currently in place would not hamper any efforts to fight the disease, he said, that it “also encourages other jurisdictions to provide the necessary clarifications to ensure that their respective sanctions are no obstacle to the global fight against the pandemic”.

Borrell’s comments came after the US ignored calls to suspend its sanctions on Venezuela and Iran, and after Cuban officials said the six-decade US embargo of their country had blocked a shipment of coronavirus aid from Asia’s richest man, Jack Ma.

Ma, the Chinese founder of the wholesale website Alibaba, had tried to send face masks, coronavirus rapid test kits, and ventilators to Cuba through his foundation, but the shipment was blocked at the last minute after the air freight carrier hired to take it pulled out.

The White House intensified economic sanctions earlier this week on Venezuela and Iran.

In Cuba, which has distributed medical aid around the world, the outbreak is at an earlier stage, with 269 confirmed cases and six deaths.

In an attempt to prevent the further introduction of coronavirus, the Cuban government has closed all air and sea connections with the exception of essential cargo and government flights. It has also placed 3,241 people in quarantine.

The pandemic is yet to gather pace in Venezuela, where 153 confirmed cases have been reported. With only 73 intensive care beds in the country and an economy reeling from an economic crisis and years of sanctions, the country is perhaps the least able to cope with the situation.

Only a quarter of Venezuela’s doctors have access to a reliable supply of water and two-thirds are without soap, gloves or masks, according to a survey by a local medical NGO last month.

Borrell’s statement called for international solidarity. “Now is the time to devote all our energy and resources to fight the world’s common challenge, the coronavirus,” he said.

“It is time to focus on global health. Only together can we protect the most vulnerable people in our societies, both medically and economically, from this virus and the human suffering that it brings.”

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