Iran says new US sanctions exemplify serious violation of intl. law

Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee made the remarks in a letter dated June 25, 2011 to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. 

The Iranian diplomat also said that the U.S. is seeking to implement the hegemonic Middle East policies of “certain circles of political and economic power” through leveling unfounded allegations against Iran. 

Following is the text of the letter: 

As you are aware, on June 23, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Treasury Department in a joint statement declared the U.S. new unilateral sanctions against some Iranian companies and individuals including Iran Air, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s civilian airline company. 

In pursuance of its overwhelmingly politicized aggressive policy of sanctions against the Iranian nation, the U.S. administration, once again, has sought recourse to a set of untrue and void allegations against my country in order to justify its unfair treatment toward the Iranian people. 

Those allegations raised against the Islamic Republic of Iran are yet another example of misrepresentation of the realities on the ground in the interest of certain circles of political and economic power to further their hegemonic policies in the Middle East region, and also a deception tactic to avert the attention of the U.S. citizens from many unfruitful and failed policies in domestic and foreign levels. 

Against the U.S. hypocritical and politically biased allegation claiming that its sanctions are merely focused on certain companies and legal and real entities involved in those activities supporting Iran’s nuclear program or some foreign groups, there is no doubt that the main purpose of such an unrealistic and hostile policy is to affect the lives of the entire Iranian population. 

We would like to reiterate that this policy is tantamount to economic and political blackmail against a sovereign member state of the United Nations, and constitutes a serious violation of United States obligations under the provision of international law on the non-applicability of sanctions against civilian populations. Today, the US administration is behaving in a manner that few nations across the world could deny the fact that its main objective is to deprive the Iranian people of their most basic human rights including the right of free movement. 

Since Iran Air helps millions of the Iranian people to connect to and interact with other nations in and out of the country, the inimical nature of the U.S. measures against civil and commercial companies including Iran Air, not only clearly runs counter to its hollow propaganda on its support to the promotion of cultural relations among nations, but also is considered by the Iranian people an act as hostile as downing the Iranian commercial jetliner in the Persian Gulf by a U.S. warship in July 1998 resulting in the death of 269 innocent Iranians including tens of women and children. 

We sincerely expect that Your Excellency, in your capacity as one of the most prominent international personalities and the head of the world’s largest international organization, to continue your invaluable efforts in shading light on the realities and help the nations of the world to understand the underlying facts about the ongoing unjust activities aimed at distracting the world’s attention from what is really happening in the Middle East. Continuation of this awkward policy is extremely dangerous and will never serve to the maintenance of international peace and security. 

I would like to stress that United Nations, as the largest international organizations mainly responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, has a fundamental responsibility to mobilize the international community to face up to such disastrous threats to those nations who are merely endeavoring to attain their legitimate and undeniable rights under international law. 

It would be highly appreciated if this letter could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly and the Security Council