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US has committed many crimes against humanity: Iran’s rights official

Sunday, 14 May 2023 11:28 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 14 May 2023 11:34 AM ]

Secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi (Photo by Mizan Online news agency)

A senior Iranian rights official has drawn attention to the atrocities committed by the United States against nations, saying the American regime has directly targeted civilians.

Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, underlined on Sunday the need to increase Iranian public awareness about US crimes and take international measures in this regard.

“In the domestic arena, people should know what crimes the US has committed against us. This is because the US atrocities have directly targeted the people,” he added.

“The US has committed two major crimes against the Iranian people in the fields of terrorism and sanctions. We have 17,000 victims of terror, among them those killed in the cowardly assassination of Qassem Soleimani and his companions.”

Iran regards itself a major victim of terrorism as it has lost over 17,000 people in acts of terror since the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s legendary anti-terror commander General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. He was highly revered across the Middle East because of his key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

Gharibabadi also noted that the international community should be encouraged to take a position on the US violation of the nations’ rights, which are unprecedented throughout history.

'Sanctions victimize nations'

Touching on the issue of sanctions, the official said the US bans have affected the rights of all Iranian people and victimized the nation.

Jurists, he asserted, believe that unilateral sanctions are a crime against humanity.

Unilateral US sanctions taking toll on thalassemia patients in Iran: UN experts

According to the United Nations, illegal US sanctions are claiming the lives of Iranian patients.

Back in May 2018, the US began to unilaterally impose the “toughest ever” sanctions against Iran after the former president left the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Although Trump failed to reach his professed goals with his “maximum pressure” campaign, the bans have badly hurt the Iranian population.

Preserved under the Joe Biden administration, the US sanctions have restricted the financial channels necessary to pay for basic goods and medicine.

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