NAM seriously concerned about Security Council bans: Iran

A top Iranian diplomat says the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council on independent countries are one of the most important issues of concern among the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries.

Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Gholam-Hossein Dehqani said on Tuesday that the NAM member states are worried about sanctions being used as an instrument to punish nations.

“Sanctions should not aim to punish nations; rather, they should be defined clearly and within the framework of legal bases within a specified timeframe, and then the imposed sanctions must be lifted after the desired objectives are achieved,” Dehqani said.

He added that the unwise use of sanctions, which puts suffering and strain on vulnerable masses, raises questions about their legitimacy.

“Members of the Non-Aligned Movement regard the imposition of sanctions as the last resort and consider them as a proper move only when international peace and security are under threat,” the Iranian diplomat pointed out.

He further criticized the Security Council for getting involved in affairs which are not within its jurisdiction, but rather, lie within the powers of the UN General Assembly.

Dehqani called for applying rational approaches and international consensus to deal with global challenges, urging the UN Security Council members to stick to the guidelines set out by the General Assembly in that regard.