Iran: US biggest enforcer of sanctions, major violator of human rights

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says the United States is the biggest enforcer of sanctions in the world and a major “systematic” violator of human rights.

The ministry made the announcement in its annual report – titled violation of human rights by USA in the 2024 – which was published on Saturday.

It said the US has “exponentially” increased its unilateral sanctions against countries such as Iran, Syria, Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Venezuela, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, etc. in recent years.

“America has committed a gross and systematic violation of human rights by unilateralism and by intensifying and accumulating economic sanctions outside the authorization of the United Nations and without legal exemptions with the aim of forcing governments to change their policies,” the report added.

It emphasized that the capacity and level of human rights protection of the sanctioned countries have been severely weakened as a result of unilateral US sanctions.

“The entire population of the embargoed countries has been affected in various ways, and a large number of cases and examples of human rights are damaged in this process,” it said.

It noted that the US sanctions have had the most obvious impact on the “right to health and the right to life” and explained that the authorized trade of medicines, medical products and equipment as well as spare parts often face many problems and obstacles due to “excessive compliance” with sanctions by manufacturers and shippers.

Despite the constant claims and slogans from the US regarding its commitment to human rights, the country’s actions—both domestically and internationally—clearly reveal that American statesmen approach this issue based on their political preferences and interests.

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The report highlighted the extensive dimensions of US anti-human rights actions at the domestic level, including the rise in gun culture, the unlawful use of coercive force by American police against minorities, the violent treatment of asylum seekers and women, as well as the violation of the rights of children and Indigenous peoples.

It pointed out that mass shootings in the US have become a “deadly phenomenon” and added, “Mass shootings in schools and other educational centers in America are an important part of the armed violence crisis in this country.”

It cited academic research which announced that the existence of wealth based on race has caused the largest economic gap between black and white Americans.

Workers of color face racial barriers in employment and are forced into menial jobs while the poverty rate among black, Latino and Native American families is more than twice that of white families, the report noted.

It added that “inflation and rising prices” have weakened access of people to essential goods and services such as food, housing, and health care.

Describing racial discrimination in US prisons as a serious issue, the ministry said, “At the Angola prison in Louisiana, which is known as one of the largest prisons in the United States, more than 75 percent of the inmates are black.”

It further referred to the situation of Muslim prisoners in New York state, especially in Utica prison, as “an example of violation of human rights and religious freedoms.”

The ministry urged the authorities and human rights institutions to pay immediate attention and take action in order to provide better conditions for these prisoners and prevent religious discrimination.

It pointed to the US anti-human rights actions at the international level and its hypocrisy in claiming to be the leader of human rights in the world.

The US uses human rights as a tool for the intervention and complicity with the Israeli regime in violating the human rights of Palestinians, imposing sanctions one-sidedly, transferring weapons and supporting terrorists, it added.

The report reiterated that the US dominates 42 percent of the arms trade in the world, outpacing several of its next competitors in total.

“These transfers, amounting to tens of billions of dollars annually in arms sales and military aid packages, are one of the most fundamental tools of US foreign policy and play a fundamental role in shaping the surrounding political, conflict and human rights environments,” it said.

The Iranian ministry stressed that the US's "ironclad" support for the Israeli regime's genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip has destroyed international authority and the claim to support the global system based on rules.

Human rights experts, both within and outside the United States, have strongly criticized the country in this regard, the report said, noting that Washington’s cooperation with the Tel Aviv regime is viewed as complicity in the gross violations of the human rights of Palestinians.

The report further said that the US has vetoed more resolutions critical of the Israeli regime than any other member of the Security Council.

“From 1945 to April 18, 2024, America has vetoed Security Council resolutions a total of 92 times, 47 of which were related to the Zionist regime.”

Most of these resolutions have been presented with the aim of establishing a framework for peace in the decades-long conflict between Palestine and the Zionist regime, the report said.

According to the report, most of these resolutions also urged the Israeli regime to adhere to international laws, the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and the formation of a Palestinian state

They also condemned the Israeli regime for the displacement of Palestinians and continuous settlement constructions, it noted.

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