Iran UN envoy:

US merely claims sanctions do not include humanitarian items

TEHRAN (defapress) – Stating that the US only claims that sanctions do not include humanitarian aids, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that it is useless to just repeat this claim; a major problem is banking sanctions.

News ID: 80643

Date: 28 March 2020 - 12:29

Americans claim that humanitarian aids, trade-related to food, medicine, agricultural and medical data-x-items are not sanctioned, said Takht-Ravanchi, adding that these are just a claim, we have to see in practice how true this is.

Another major issue is the bank sanctions, which means banks are afraid of being fined by the US government, he noted.

Emphasizing that Americans have to prove themselves in practice, the Iranian diplomat said that it is useless to only repeat that sanctions do not include humanitarian items.

The United States has imposed new sanctions against 20 companies, officials and individuals in Iran and Iraq, despite growing global pressure on the US to end sanctions on Iran as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday the sanctions freeze any US-held assets of those designated and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

Over the past week, the international community has been making calls on the US to lift the illegal sanctions, which have hampered Tehran’s access to lifesaving medical supplies as the country is trying to contain the coronavirus and help treat the patients.

Meanwhile, Iran has roundly denounced the US claims for sending aid as hypocritical, saying if the US genuinely sought to help, it should lift its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.

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