Sanctions must not target vulnerable groups: Dehghani

During the session of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, Hossein Dehghani, Ambassador of Iran to the UN, criticized the Security Council for interfering in the General Assembly’s duties
Iran’s UN envoy Hossein Dehghani attended the session of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee as a representative of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and stressed that the UN needs further to intensify its role, and pay special attention to its executive power in regard to issues of peace and international security.

Dehghani considered the sanctions imposed by the Security Council as one of the serious concerns of NAM members and criticized the Security Council for interfering in matters beyond its duties which are related to the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.

Iran’s ambassador noted that the sanctions imposed by the Security Council on some NAM countries are a worrying issue and said, “the irrational use of sanctions raises this fundamental question that whether inflicting difficulties on vulnerable groups in the target countries is in fact a legitimate tool for exerting political pressure on countries.”

“The aim of sanctions must not be to punish people,” Dehghani continued, “the aims must be defined clearly and based on legal principles and within a specific time period, and once the desired objectives have been achieved, the sanctions must be lifted.”