Iranian UN ambassador slams US sanctions as 'war' on Iranian people

Tehran [Iran], June 3 : Iran's permanent representative to the UN Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the United States has waged a "war" on Iranian civilians by imposing sanctions, state media reported on Friday.
Iran has been under US sanctions since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal it and other world powers signed with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
"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 US economic and financial sanctions on Iran directly endangered the lives of the most vulnerable population, including children, the elderly and patients, Takht-Ravanchi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
The Iranian envoy urged the Security Council to address the "serious violations" of international law, particularly the "illegal sanctions" on Iran.
These remarks come as Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with visiting Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Friday.
Bennett expressed Israel's deep concern regarding Iran's continued progress toward achieving nuclear weapons while "deceiving the international community by using false information and lies."
He emphasized the urgent need in mobilizing the international community to "take action against Iran, using all means, in order to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons."
Grossi's visit came amid Israel's mounting concern over Iran's nuclear activities and any potential return to the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. He arrived in Israel Thursday night before heading to the Austrian capital of Vienna for an IAEA Board of Governors meeting on Monday.