Iran condemns use of sanctions as political leverage

TEHRAN, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's UN envoy said the Islamic republic condemns the imposition of sanctions by some governments as political leverage in their bilateral ties, Iranian Students' News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks on Tuesday at a UN General Assembly meeting, saying such measures are also the main obstacles to international efforts aimed at providing humanitarian assistance.

Iran maintains that all the principles of the UN Charter, particularly respecting countries' national sovereignty and territorial integrity, must be observed by all states and humanitarian aid organizations, noted Takht-Ravanchi.

The international community is facing with new and changing challenges, including natural disasters, armed conflicts, foreign occupation, the COVID-19 pandemic and unilateral coercive measures, which have reduced the international community's capacity for addressing the problems of the disaster-stricken states, Takht-Ravanchi regretted.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the U.S.-led sanctions. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran