Tehran, 6 Jul (Xinhua) -- The Iranian government held the "American Human Rights Week" from late June to early July to expose human rights abuses in the United States. Iran's Foreign Ministry recently issued a statement saying that unilateral sanctions have become a tool for the United States to violate the rights and interests of the Iranian people, and the United States is the world's "biggest human rights violator."
Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the United States has arbitrarily imposed economic sanctions on other countries without the authorization of the United Nations, flagrantly and systematically violated the human rights of other countries, and "transformed economic tools into economic terrorism [perpetrated against other countries] in order to achieve the political goals of the United States."
A man walks past a bureau de change in Tehran, Iran, on October 14, 2020. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ahmed Harabissas)
The statement pointed out that the "cruel sanctions" and "economic terrorism" imposed by the United States on Iran not only have a negative impact on Iran's production, employment and national income, but also lead to a decrease in the income and social gap of the Iranian people, and generally reduce the living standards of the Iranian people.
According to the statement, U.S. sanctions have led to a severe reduction in Iran's state revenue and a weakening of the government's ability to maintain and improve infrastructure. The sanctions have also made it difficult for Iran to enter the international financial system and participate in international development projects normally, and to develop and transform its own industries.
In addition, as a result of the sanctions, Iran Airlines and shipping companies were unable to procure spare parts, equipment and services needed to maintain and upgrade aircraft and ships, exposing air passengers to safety threats and dangers, as well as significantly increasing the risk of water pollution from ship spills.
A volunteer sprays disinfectant on a street in Tehran, Iran, on March 31, 2020. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ahmed Harabissas)
The statement said that during the covid-19 epidemic, foreign pharmaceutical companies were reluctant to cooperate with Iranian companies due to concerns about punitive measures by the United States, making it difficult for Iran to purchase drugs and equipment needed for diagnosis and treatment of new crown. Iran's Foreign Ministry cited this as an example, noting that the U.S. sanctions have caused "irreparable damage" to the health of the Iranian people, and the negative impact is "very obvious and destructive."
"People with mental and physical disabilities in Iran face difficulties in accessing quality medicines and medical, assistive and rehabilitation equipment due to obstacles encountered by foreign suppliers in complying excessively with U.S. sanctions and international payments," the statement said. "The high inflation rate brought about by U.S. sanctions has reduced the purchasing power of Iran's elderly and significantly increased their health care costs."
This November 4, 2019 profile photo shows pedestrians walking past anti-American propaganda posters on the streets of Tehran, the Iranian capital. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ahmed Harabissas)
The statement said "one of the most obvious unconstructive measures" in the United States was to ban Iranian researchers from accessing public healthcare resources, and even restrict access to the National Library of Medicine and medical literature databases during the COVID-19 pandemic, which fully exposed how "inhumane" the U.S. sanctions were.
The self-proclaimed "human rights advocate" in the United States does not meaningfully monitor its own violations of minority rights in the context of widespread hate speech.
"The United States does not even respect the rights and interests of its own citizens, but it claims to defend the human rights of other countries," Kazim Garibaladi, secretary general of Iran's Supreme Human Rights Commission, said when participating in the "American Human Rights Week" on the 3rd. ”