US Sanctions on Iran in Violation of ICJ Ruling: Envoy

Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the US is breaching the court ruling by imposing different sanctions on Iran.

In a speech at the UN General Assembly, the top Iranian envoy referred to the United States’ use of coercive measures as a foreign policy tool.

He touched upon the sanctions that Washington has imposed on Iran over the recent years, saying the bans have intensified after the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Takht-Ravanchi noted the sanctions have directly or indirectly targeted Iranian companies and people and affected Iran’s free trade potential.
“This comes as the US president has blatantly announced that the toughest sanctions will be slapped against Iran, leading to more problems for the Islamic Republic,” he said.

“In response to these illegal and unlawful measures which run counter to the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the 1955 bilateral agreement between Iran and the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran brought a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice and called on the court to issue a provisional order to stop the United States’ illegal actions,” he said.

“On October 3, 2018, the International Court of Justice issued, by consensus, a binding provisional order obligating the US to stop its restrictive measures in accordance with its commitments under a treaty of amity, and to guarantee that restrictions do not apply to permits needed to transfer money in areas stipulated in the court ruling,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the US has not abided by the court’s provisional order so far and has, ironically enough, imposed more sanctions and tightened its coercive measures, so much so that more Iranian banks have come under sanctions recently amid the spread of the coronavirus outbreak,” he said.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN said these sanctions have created problems for Iran with regards to the procurement of medicines and equipment needed to combat COVID-19.

“The US is obliged to abide by the court order, and any non-compliance will bring international responsibility for the US. The court has asked both parties to the lawsuit to avoid any measures that would worsen or intensify the case,” he said.