TEHRAN, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the United States has waged a "war" on Iranian civilians by imposing sanctions, Iranian state TV reported on Friday.
"Unilateral coercive measures are employed by certain states as a method of war to starve innocent civilians. These international wrongful acts violate the UN Charter and international law," he told the Security Council open debate on strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of international law on Thursday.
Decades of U.S. economic and financial sanctions on Iran directly endangered the lives of the most vulnerable population, including children, the elderly and patients, Takht-Ravanchi said.
The Iranian envoy urged the Security Council to address the "serious violations" of international law, particularly the "illegal sanctions" on Iran.
Iran has been under U.S. sanctions since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. In May 2018, the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal it and other world powers signed with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran. ■
