Zarif: US sanctions show disregard for human rights

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described recent US sanctions against the Islamic Republic as a sign of the United States' "disregard for human rights for all Iranians" and "addiction" to sanctions.

On his personal Twitter page, the Iranian Foreign Minister described the recent US sanctions against Iran as the result of “absolute disregard for the rule of law” and “the United States’ addiction to sanctions,” writing that this “addiction has gotten out of control.”

According to Reuters, the US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned two Iranian banks and several companies and entities identified as affiliated with the "Basij Cooperative Foundation".

Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter: "The latest US sanctions violate two orders of the International Court of Justice: not to prevent humanitarian trade and not to escalate disputes."

He wrote about the sanctions on companies that the US has labeled as affiliated with the "Basij Cooperative Foundation": "A private Iranian bank that played a key role in importing food and medicine has been sanctioned for its alleged connection, also with eight intermediaries, with another illegal purpose."

He continued: “In comparison, all humans on Earth are connected to each other through six intermediaries, do the math for yourself!”

Zarif is referring to the "six degrees of separation" theory, which states that any two people on Earth are connected by six or fewer intermediaries.

Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company and Mobarakeh Steel Industries of Isfahan, Bank Mellat, Bank Parsian, and Iran Zinc Mines Development Company are among the companies and institutions targeted by new US sanctions.

Tensions between Iran and the United States rose after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran (JCPOA) in May and reimposed sanctions in August.

This was the first round of sanctions reimposed. The second round of sanctions, which US officials say will target Iran's oil industry, will begin on November 4.

Bahram Qassemi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also called the US Treasury Department's sanctions on the aforementioned companies "a clear insult by the United States to legal and international mechanisms."

According to ILNA, Ghasemi, referring to the recent interim order issued by the International Court of Justice, which called on the United States to refrain from taking any action that would escalate the conflict or complicate its resolution, said: "The behavior and approach that the US government has adopted and its failure to adhere to international mechanisms, rules, and laws threaten not only the interests of the Iranian people but also the stability and security of the world."

The United States considers the JCPOA a "bad deal" and says that this agreement does not include changing Iran's behavior in the region and the Islamic Republic's missile program, and that it must be changed.

Reviving sanctions that were lifted by the JCPOA could affect Iran's oil and other commodity exports and the value of its currency, and could cause further problems for the Islamic Republic's banks.

Last January, following increasing economic problems, protests broke out in Iran, which quickly spread to more than 80 cities despite severe repression and confrontation.

Since then, protests have continued sporadically and in various forms, including among truck drivers, teachers, market vendors, and farmers, which in some cases have led to violence with the intervention of security officers.

Source: DW