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US sanctions against Iran 'tantamount to naked economic warfare'

Thursday, 23 August 2018 10:14 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 23 August 2018 10:17 AM ]

US President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

The illegitimate and unjust sanctions imposed against Iran by the United States not only run counter to UN resolutions but are also tantamount to “naked economic warfare,” author and political analyst Kaveh Afrasiabi has told Press TV.

He noted that the sanctions are “prohibited” under the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the official title assigned to Iran’s nuclear deal.

Reacting to recent comments by US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who said “what we want is massive change in the [Iranian] regime’s behavior,” Afrasiabi suggested that Washington needs to first work on correcting its own behavior before talking about others.

“So it’s the United States itself that is engaging in rogue behavior under the cloak of trying to change Iran’s behavior. Who will educate the educator? The US itself has to change its behavior and conform to international norms and standards instead of subverting them,” he proposed.

Afrasiabi said the US sanctions are “globally resented,” lack UN backing and will face serious resistance from the international community.

“This so-called sanctions regime, in contrast to the past, is not based on references to the UN international sanctions,” Afrasiabi said in the interview on Thursday.

President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement and imposing "the highest level" of economic bans on Iran.

Washington reinstated a series of unilateral sanctions against Iran in early August and plans to reimpose a second batch in November, which would primarily target Tehran’s oil exports.