Rouhani: EU must take stand against illegal US moves against Iran

President Hassan Rouhani has once again censured the unilateral American sanctions that are disrupting imports of medical supplies into Iran, renewing a call for the European Union to take a stand against such illegal US moves.

“The Americans have taken the health of 83 million Iranians hostage by imposing cruel sanctions [on them] and preventing the transfer of medicine and essentials to Iran” at a difficult time when a coronavirus outbreak has hit the country, Rouhani said in a phone conversation with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday.

“Under the ongoing circumstances, the European Union, particularly Finland, should carry out its duty by condemning the illegal measures of the United States,” Rouhani added.

He noted that all countries should be treated similarly in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, especially when it comes to free access to medicine and medical equipment.

The president also lashed out at Washington for adopting a “narrow-minded” approach towards the World Health Organization (WHO) and slapping bans on the UN’s health organ as the entire world community is busy battling the deadly virus.

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Turning a blind eye to the pandemic, America has “violated international regulations and also increased sanctions against Iran,” the Iranian president added.

“It is imperative that the European Union fulfill its duties [in protecting] human rights at this critical juncture,” he pointed out.

He noted that Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — was a breach of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the agreement, and of international law, political norms and all moral obligations.

Pointing to Iran’s good cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the body’s supervision of the country’s nuclear activities, Rouhani said, “If the European Union fulfills its 11-paragraph commitments under the JCPOA, we will, in turn, live up to all of our commitments.”

The historic deal has been slowly crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in May 2018 and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. Bowing to US pressure, the EU3 — the three European signatories to the nuclear deal — has failed to protect Tehran’s business interests under the JCPOA against the American bans.

Iran has scaled back its commitments under the nuclear accord to both retaliate against Washington’s departure and prompt the European trio to respect their obligations towards Tehran.

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The Iranian president further criticized the US for failing to show any goodwill gesture at any stage and that Washington continued to impose "illegal sanctions and increase economic pressure" on the Iranian people despite the pandemic and in defiance of human rights principles.

Rouhani said, “The Americans must have realized that it will not be in their interest to take this path and that disrupting the JCPOA will be detrimental to all sides.”

He further pointed to Iran’s achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 and stressed the importance of exchange experience and information with Finland in this regard.

“Success will be achieved in the fight against this pandemic through collective cooperation, but if countries fail to stand together, it will be very difficult to get rid of this dangerous disease,” Rouhani said.

The Iranian president called for the expansion of relations with Finland in all fields and expressed hope for continued talks between the two countries on issues of bilateral, international and regional significance.

Finland fully supports JCPOA as international deal: Niinisto

The Finnish president, for his part, said that his country completely supports the JCPOA as an international agreement and vowed to make utmost efforts to preserve it.

Finland believes that the JCPOA should be maintained and implemented by all parties, Niinisto added.

He also hailed Iran’s achievements in battling the coronavirus and urged the development of bilateral relations.

The Finnish leader said Helsinki backs Iran’s request for a five-billion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help finance its efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The US is blocking the IMF from providing Iran with the loan.

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