Iran slams U.S. sanctions for causing environment, health problems

TEHRAN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has blamed the U.S. sanctions for causing negative impact on Iran's environment, which harms Iranians' lives and welfare, the official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, the report said.

The Iranian diplomat urged the U.S. to lift all its "illegal" sanctions against Iran, which are in contradiction with international law and the UN Charter.

Iravani said that the U.S. sanctions against Iran have exacerbated the country's environmental problems, posing risks to the health of Iranian citizens.

He cited that the U.S. sanctions have been preventing foreign investments in Iran's environmental projects, blocking the country's access to modern technologies in the area, and depriving Iranian scientists of engaging in joint environmental research projects abroad.

The Iranian envoy added that the U.S. coercive measures have "destructive" impacts by denying Iran's access to clean energies to minimize the greenhouse gas emission, hindering the implementation of environmental projects, and harming Iranians' health and welfare.

Iran has been under U.S. sanctions for the past four decades. The sanctions intensified following the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018.

Although the U.S. claims that its sanctions do not include humanitarian items and areas, they have in fact negatively impacted the Iranians' lives. Among the disastrous consequences of the U.S. sanctions includes air pollution, particularly during the cold seasons.

On Dec. 20, 2022, a group of UN human rights experts announced that "it is no surprise that the Iranian capital Tehran is one of the world's most polluted cities, as U.S. sanctions force people to prolong the use of older vehicles that burn fuel less efficiently, while making it impossible for the country to obtain equipment and technology to reduce vehicle emissions."