"The United States' actions seriously violate the basic norms of international relations" (in-depth observation)

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Since 1979, the United States has been implementing various unilateral sanctions against Iran for a long time. The US Congress has passed and revised more than 10 related bills, including the Iran Sanctions Act. The US government has issued at least 26 executive orders related to sanctions against Iran. The United States's wanton breach of treaties and indiscriminate imposition of sanctions seriously hinder Iran's development and improvement of people's livelihoods, causing a serious humanitarian disaster.

In a pharmacy on the streets of Tehran, the capital of Iran, a small space is filled with people queuing up to wait. "Today I have visited several pharmacies and finally found the medicine I need here," 31 year old Amir told reporters. His father is currently undergoing chemotherapy due to lung cancer and needs to buy medicine every 20 days. "Sanctions have caused difficulties in international settlement and transportation, and many foreign companies have refused to export drugs to Iran due to concerns about sanctions, leading to a shortage of urgently needed drugs and skyrocketing prices." Amir said, "These life-saving drugs are the last hope of unfortunate families. No matter how grandiose the US rhetoric is, it cannot change the essence of the serious harm to the lives and health of the Iranian people."

For a long time, the United States has imposed illegal unilateral sanctions on Iran, seriously trampling on the rights to life, health, and development of the local people. Recently, our reporter went to Iran for an interview, and various sectors of society lamented the serious impact of the United States' indiscriminate sanctions on local development and people's health.

"Destroying our lives just for personal gain"

At noon, the scorching sun is scorching. At the largest bazaar in Tehran, workers are pulling carts filled with goods to shuttle through the crowd. 52 year old Said Muhammad is one of them. "The factory where I used to work was affected by US sanctions and closed down, so I came to Dazha to make a living." Mohammed pulled a cart to look for work while talking to reporters. Now, his daily income is very unstable, sometimes he can earn a salary of about 70 yuan per day, and sometimes he can only earn around 30 yuan, depending on how much work he can find. "The money earned every month is basically only enough for food expenses," said Mohammad.

Mohammed's child is currently in high school, and his wife has no job. He is the only source of income for the whole family. "There are many workers in the Great Bazari who make a living by moving goods." Mohammed said, "Unemployment, currency depreciation, rising prices... The sanctions imposed by the United States have caused us harm in multiple ways."

At the end of the workday, the bustling area near the Tehran City Theater, adjacent to the subway entrance, became bustling. Vendors began setting up stalls, and many people sat on a small square outside the theater to rest. 53 year old high school teacher Hussein just bought some bread to take home. "Due to sanctions, trade has been hindered, production costs have risen, factories have closed down, and employment opportunities have been reduced. My two sons and one daughter have not been able to find jobs since graduating from college." Hussein said, "I have always wondered why the United States has the power to impose unilateral sanctions and destroy our lives solely for personal gain. Without sanctions, we can definitely live a good life."

"About 30 years ago, my hometown was rich in pomegranates, and every year many foreign merchants came to purchase pomegranates. At that time, planting one hectare of pomegranate could buy a house in the city." Ahmed, from a town in eastern Iran, told reporters that due to the increasing sanctions imposed by the United States, foreign merchants were unable to purchase pomegranates again, and exports were blocked, forcing villagers to find alternative ways out. Ahmad said, "We used to have more opportunities to interact with the international community and ample room for development, but now everything has changed."

"The actions of the United States are a serious violation of human rights"

In Iran, rare disease patients are one of the most severely affected groups by US sanctions. The Iranian government has repeatedly pointed out that the treatment of rare diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa and thalassemia is severely hindered by US sanctions, and some patients have even lost their lives as a result.

The skin on patients with bullous epidermolysis is fragile like butterfly wings, and Ali is a rare patient of this disease. Ali's mother said, "When a child wears clothes, they may accidentally rub and produce blisters, often causing pain." For patients with this disease, it is particularly important to use professional dressings for bandaging care. After 2018, due to the increasing sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, Swedish companies producing professional dressings no longer export related products to Iran. Hamid Reza Hashemi, founder of the Iranian civil society organization "House for Patients with Bullous Epidermolysis," said that they had written a letter to the Swedish company inquiring about the reason, and the company's reason was straightforward - because Iran is under sanctions. Ali's mother said, "What did the children do wrong? We just hope to make them less painful."

During the COVID-19 epidemic, the United States did not relax its sanctions against Iran. The United States prevented Iran from importing anti epidemic materials such as COVID-19 vaccine by freezing Iran's overseas funds and threatening vaccine suppliers. The Brookings Institution of America predicts that during the most severe period of the pandemic, US sanctions may result in the death of 13000 Iranians.

On February 14th of this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Duhan, and the independent expert on human rights and international solidarity, Obiola Okafor, issued a joint statement. Two experts pointed out in a statement that since the United States restarted and continuously increased sanctions against Iran in 2018, Iran's imports of drugs for treating thalassemia have been greatly affected. Although the US has so-called "sanctions exemptions" for related drugs, the relevant regulations are complex and unclear. "The US has imposed high fines on pharmaceutical companies exporting drugs to Iran, causing global pharmaceutical production, logistics, insurance and other related industries to fear facing sanctions... This violates the right to health of Iranian patients, leading to an increase in complications and mortality rates."

"The United States claims that humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, are not on the sanctions list against Iran, but it turns out to be just a lie." Hussein Ghanatti, President of Tehran Medical University, said in an interview with our reporter, "The rights to life and health are the most fundamental human rights, and the actions of the United States are a serious violation of human rights."

"The act of seeking personal gain through hegemony is destined to fail."

The US government's arbitrary implementation of sanctions has led to a human rights crisis in other countries, which has been strongly condemned by the international community. In May 2022, Du Han discovered during his visit to Iran that the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States have seriously affected all aspects of Iran's economy and people's livelihoods, causing harm to the general public, especially the most vulnerable groups. According to her investigation, when importing medical supplies, the Iraqi side often encounters situations such as foreign companies refusing to accept orders, delaying delivery, and increasing prices for sales. At the same time, due to limited external procurement and payment channels, the domestic medical costs in Iran have significantly increased, adding economic pressure and health risks to the Iranian people. Du Han called on the United States to effectively abide by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the basic principles of international law, and to lift the illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran.

Hao Maite, director of the Asian Studies Center at the University of Tehran in Iran, stated that in recent years, the United States has unilaterally withdrawn from the Iran nuclear agreement and continuously imposed additional sanctions on Iran, causing great suffering for the Iranian people. Iranian economist Abdullah Rahim stated that the purpose of the United States indiscriminately imposing illegal unilateral sanctions is to hinder Iran's independent development, and that "the act of seeking personal gain through hegemonic hegemony is doomed to fail.".

Vice President of the University of Tehran, Marandi, said, "The United States is using economic hegemony as a weapon, launching illegal unilateral sanctions recklessly in an attempt to weaken other economies and continue to maintain its hegemonic self-interest. The actions of the United States are constantly undermining its own credibility and image, and will eventually backfire."

Professor Drezner from Tufts University in the United States believes that the US government's abuse of economic coercion and violence, using sanctions as a major solution to diplomatic issues, has caused a serious humanitarian disaster. He emphasized, "The sanctions against Iran have led to more suffering for the Iranian people, and in fact, they have also had a backlash effect on US foreign policy."

"Any unilateral sanctions without authorization from the United Nations are illegal." Iranian legal figure Said Hassan Amin said that the United States' unilateral sanctions clearly lack basis in international law and rely on power to override domestic legislation and domestic policies over international and foreign laws. "The United States' actions seriously trample on the basic norms of international relations, not only harming Iran, but also harming relevant stakeholders and the United States itself.". He believes that if the United States truly considers human rights and global development, it should take action and solve problems through dialogue and consultation.