Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Week to Review and Expose the American Human Rights

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Week to Review and Expose the American Human Rights

U.S. is the Biggest Violator of the Human Rights; not an advocator

Supporting the human rights has always been one of the most important slogans and claims of the Unites States of America. However, the U.S. statesmen adopt their stands regarding the human rights based on their political interests and preferences. This procedure has provided the U.S. with the instrumental use of the human rights at the international arena.

The U.S., to change the policies of other countries, while resorting to unilateralism, intensification of economic sanctions against other countries without the authorization of the United Nations and neglecting the legal exemptions, has blatantly and systematically violated the human rights. This procedure will gradually lead to a paradigm change in abusing the economic tools to impose sanctions against countries which are politically independent and oppose the U.S. international procedures and the economic tools are changed into economic terrorism in order to realize the U.S. political objectives. These actions in addition to blatant breach of the human rights have brought complicated challenges for the human rights perspective as well.

  The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the countries which has been severely affected by the U.S. instrumental use of the human rights. Nowadays, U.S. imposition of unilateral coercive sanctions have turned into a tool to violate the human rights of the Iranian people which will be followed by some examples:

• Breach of the Right to Life

The U.S. unilateral sanctions, due to blocking the effective provision of social services, endangering the food security, causing scarcity of medicines and radio-active pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and imposing sanctions against civil aviation and aircraft spare parts which has seriously jeopardized the safety of the Iranian civil aviation, are considered as instances of violations of the right to life of the Iranian people. Furthermore, the catastrophic impacts of the regime of unilateral sanctions on the right to life as a result of pervasive poverty, spread of diseases, lack of access to basic commodities and services for children, have created a big obstacle to continue life.  

• Breach of the Right to Self-determination

The obvious and obscure objectives of imposition of sanctions by the U.S. against the people of Iran is to apply direct and indirect pressure with the aim of forcing Iran to follow its bullying policies and illegitimate objectives. Undoubtedly, these pressures violate the right to self-determination of the Iranian people which has been underlined in the U.N. charter and different resolutions and declarations. In addition, these policies and campaigns of maximum pressure as well as threats against other countries, companies and third parties are in contrast with the principles of cooperation among states, peaceful settlement of international disputes, equal sovereignty of states and non-intervention in internal affairs of other countries.

• Breach of the Right to Health

The U.S unilateral sanctions have caused irreparable damages to the health of the vulnerable members of the Iranian society. The negative impacts of sanctions and the relevant challenges have been very tangible and destructive in the following areas:

1. Lack of cooperation by the healthcare companies with the Iranian companies
2. Disruption in provision of medical equipment, items and goods and pharmaceuticals to diagnose, control and treat COVID-19 patients in Iran, due to healthcare companies lack of cooperation in fear of the U.S. punitive measures
3. Reduction in public revenues as a result of the direct outcome of the sanctions and their negative impacts on healthcare system
4. Imposition of sanctions against the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization and disruption in swift and timely transfer of medical items into the country
5. Disruption in purchase of medicines for rare and acute diseases

• Breach of the Right to Adequate Standards of Living

The U.S. cruel sanctions and the economic terrorism imposed and applied against the Islamic Republic of Iran, while negatively impacting the production, employment and national revenue of the country, have also led to a weakened economic return, reduction of the revenues and creation of a social gap which in general has downgraded the level of living for Iranian citizens.

• Breach of the Right to Education and Access to Knowledge and Technology

Sanctions have made it impossible for Iranian scholars to share their expertise, knowledge and experience with foreign scholars; therefore, it has prevented realization of mutual scientific enrichment with their foreign colleagues. Furthermore, trade of software has confronted some restrictions as well and access of Iranian scholars to international medical forums and other scientific gatherings has been blocked. One of the most obvious and nonconstructive measures of the U.S. is prohibition of Iranian researchers and medical doctors to access the existing medical resources particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic at National Library of Medicine (NLM) and PubMed, which openly displayed the inhuman and multifold nature of this regime. 

• Breach of the Right to Development

Severe reduction in national revenues, as a result of the imposition of the U.S. unilateral sanctions, led to debilitation of the Iranian government in preserving and improving the fundamental infrastructures in the country and thereupon it has been unable to take part in fundamental development projects. Lack of access to international financial system, disruption in payment processing systems and unwillingness of the foreign companies to accept Letters of Credit issued by the Iranian banks have critically disturbed Iran's participation in international partnerships in such projects and it has failed to develop and renovate the country's industries.

Furthermore, Iranian aviation companies and shipping lines, as a result of the sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), have failed in supplying spare parts, equipment and services required for maintenance and upgrade of their fleet. This has produced numerous threats and dangers for air passengers and increased the risks of water contamination resulting from ship leakages which have been also mentioned in the draft country visit report issued the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impacts of the Unilateral Coercive Measures in the Islamic Republic of Iran (2022).

• Breach of the Right of Women, Children, Elderly people and People with Disabilities

Sanctions and their ensuing economic pressures have caused obvious gender consequences. The economic sectors which traditionally employed women have been particularly damaged and consequently an exponential number of women have been forced to involve in unofficial economic activities.  

At the same time, the high rate of sanction related inflation has decreased the purchase power of the elderly people in the country and increased their medical costs, significantly. Another crucial issue is regarding the people with mental and physical disabilities and the problems they confront to access the quality medicines and medical, auxiliary and rehabilitation equipment as a result of overcompliance of foreign suppliers with the U.S. sanctions and the obstacles to make international payments.

The United States of America identifies itself as the advocate of the human rights while:

1. In the U.S., there is no targeted monitoring system on violations of the rights of the minorities including Muslims, Black Indians and the Asians and hate speech is extensively promoted by the U.S. officials and police.
2. This country is the biggest supporter of the Zionist Regime of Israel and backs the continuation of the violation of the human rights in the Occupied Territories through its material and non-material assistance. Despite the U.S. promotion of the slogan to support the two-state solution, this country in practice prevents its implementation. The U.S. not only keeps silence about the Zionist regime's preventive measures, but at the same time supports this regime with necessary actions, including:

• The U.S. votes against all resolutions tabled at the United Nations Security Council and other human rights bodies like the Human Rights Council against the Zionist regime and by threatening to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council prevents this international body from supporting Palestine.
• The legal entities which adopt anti-Israeli positions or support the rights of the Palestinian people are designated as terrorist or inhuman organizations by the U.S. and it provides the Zionist regime with full financial and military support.
• The U.S. supports the territorial expansionist policy of the Zionist regime by recognizing Al-Quds as the Israeli capital and Golan Heights as a part of the legitimate territories run by the Zionist government.

3. The innocent people of Yemen are targeted daily manner by the U.S. weaponries which are sold to the conflicting countries with the aim of gaining more profits which is accompanied by the U.S. opposition with any kind of ending the crisis in this country. According to the report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), since 2015 more than 377/000 Yemenis have been killed directly and indirectly by the Saudi military attacks. More than 20 million Yemeni people are suffering from food shortage and 10 million people are on the brink of famine and hunger and 65/000 people are facing emergency level of hunger. At the same time, 2.6 million children are malnourished and 500/000 children face the threat of death. The main reason for the violation of the human rights in this country and the courage of the Saudi coalition to openly violate this right is the political support of the United States of America from the aggressors.
4. The U.S., making instrumental use of two concepts of the human rights and the fight against terrorism, has physically removed the biggest figures of defending the right to self-determination. The latest example in this regard is the cowardly assassination of General Suleimani by the U.S. drones in 2020. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the assassination of this real fighter and defender of the rights of the defenseless people of this region is an instance of the state terror and a blatant crime violating the fundamental principles of the international law. As underlined by the thematic reporters of the United Nations Human Rights Council, assassination of General Suleimani was the arbitrary violation of the right to life which is in contradiction with the contents of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.