Iran urges UN to assess humanitarian impact of US sanctions

• Iran has asked the United Nations to investigate the humanitarian and human rights consequences of new US sanctions.
• Tehran says the measures could restrict access to food, medicine, healthcare, energy and other essential services for ordinary Iranians.

Iran has called on the United Nations to investigate the humanitarian consequences of US sanctions, arguing that Washington’s pressure campaign is harming civilians and violating international law.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the request in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the president of the UN Security Council and UN member states.

Tehran “requests the United Nations Secretary-General to assess and report on the humanitarian and human rights implications of these actions,” Araghchi wrote.

The letter, released Wednesday by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, described the US measures as “economic terrorism” and urged the UN to examine their impact on civilians.

Araghchi called for an assessment of the sanctions’ effects on access to food, medicine, healthcare, energy, transportation, humanitarian assistance and other basic necessities.

He also urged the Security Council and UN member states to condemn what Iran described as unilateral coercive measures and secondary sanctions imposed by Washington.

Iran called on governments not to recognize or implement sanctions that Tehran says are intended to pressure countries into changing their lawful economic and trade relations with Iran.

Araghchi also demanded that Washington stop pressuring third countries and companies to reduce their economic ties with Tehran.

The appeal comes after the US Treasury Department launched a new campaign to tighten sanctions on Iran, targeting sectors including aviation, shipping, technology, gold and digital assets.

While the measures are directed at the Iranian government and entities linked to it, their broader economic impact could also be felt by ordinary Iranians through restrictions on trade, financial transactions and access to essential goods.

Iran has repeatedly argued that sweeping sanctions impose disproportionate costs on civilians, while Washington maintains that economic pressure is intended to target Tehran’s policies and constrain its strategic capabilities.