Mohammad Zareian made the remarks on Friday while addressing a session of the Third Committee, which was attended by Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights.
The Iranian diplomat called on the international community to stand unanimously against Washington’s unilateralism.
He added, "As the Special Rapporteur noted, from the outset of the epidemic, the United Nations has recognized the destructive effects of unilateral sanctions and the need for full solidarity and respect for all human rights."
"However, the United States is intensifying its disregard [to human rights] by imposing unilateral and illegal sanctions against countries that are more infected by the coronavirus."
"The maximum pressure on the Iranian people during the epidemic explicitly violates the right to living and the right to health, especially for the most vulnerable parts of the population, including women, children, the elderly and the sick," Zareian said.
The Iranian diplomat added, "The extraterritorial effects of unilateral coercive action by the United States against many countries also affect the sovereignty of those states, the legitimate interests of the institutions or persons under their jurisdiction, and the freedom of trade; they also impede the realization of the right to development.”
"We expressed our deepest concern that that numerous calls by the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as human rights mechanisms for the lifting of unilateral sanctions have not been heeded by the United States," he said.
"This is a warning that the international community must unite against this scourge before it is too late," Zareian said.
The US has been tightening its sanctions against Iran in recent months, defying warnings from Tehran and international human rights organizations that the restrictions are severely hampering the Iranian health sector's fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
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