Iran UN envoy calls US sanctions on 27 airlines economic terrorism

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the rotating President of the UN Security Council, Iran's UN envoy Gholamhossein Darzi said that US sanctions on 27 airlines disrupt access to aircraft spare parts, equipment, and services—including maintenance, repair, inspection, and technical support—that are essential for the safe operation of civil aircraft. He stated that this exposes passengers and aviation industry personnel to avoidable risks while restricting the movement of millions of civilians.

The Iranian diplomat added that these actions constitute a blatant disregard for the International Court of Justice's order dated October 3, 2018. He noted that the Court explicitly addressed the potential impact of US measures on the safety of civil aviation and the lives of those relying on it, and required the United States to remove impediments to the free export to Iran of goods and services essential for civil aviation safety.

Darzi emphasized that the systematic use of economic and financial measures aimed at deliberately and extensively inflicting severe hardship and deprivation upon Iran's civilian population to exert political pressure constitutes economic terrorism, collective punishment, and a crime against humanity. He further described it as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law, including international human rights law and obligations regarding the protection of civilians.

The Iranian envoy called on the Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council to urge all Member States to refrain from recognizing or implementing unilateral coercive measures by the United States that violate international law and the UN Charter—particularly those measures that inflict, or can reasonably be foreseen to cause, widespread humanitarian harm to civilian populations.

According to Mehr News, the letter was sent to the UN leadership as part of Iran's ongoing efforts to highlight the humanitarian impact of US sanctions on its civil aviation sector.