Iran Calls Sanctions a Crime Against Humanity

Iran, China, and Russia Seek Termination of UN Security Council Resolution Against Iran’s Nuclear Program

Iran’s representative at the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned the severe effects of unilateral sanctions, describing them as “crimes against humanity.” Photo credit: IRNA

Representatives of Iran, China, and Russia wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and the head of the Security Council on Tuesday 2 December, demanding the official termination of Security Council resolution 2231.

Resolution 2231 was adopted by the Security Council in 2015 as an endorsement to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal, signed between Iran and five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany.

The resolution lifted all existing international sanctions against Iran in return for extensive restrictions on its nuclear program.

The expiration of the JCPOA 18 October 2025 prompted the joint move by Iran, Russia, and China.

The JCPOA, which was seen as a comprehensive move to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, suffered a setback when the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions against Iran.

The US withdrawal and unilateral sanctions led Iran to take retaliatory measures, making the JCPOA dysfunctional.

Despite the JCPOA’s dysfunction and expiration in October, UN Resolution 2231 was invoked by its three European signatories, the UK, France, and Germany (also known as E3) in September, leading to the reimposition of international sanctions against Iran, despite objections from Russia and China.

The letter reiterated that according to the resolution itself, it expired ten years after its adoption or on 18 October 2025. This means that there was no legal basis for its invocation by the three European signatories of the Iran nuclear deal, which in turn lead to the restoration of sanctions.

18 October marks the “end of the Security Council’s consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue,” the letter of the permanent representatives of Iran, China, and Russia says.

It also questioned the legality of the international sanctions. The letter outlines that the E3 did not exhaust the procedures contained in the agreement and resolution, and thus they lacked the standing to invoke its provisions and hence the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran was illegal.

Unilateral sanctions are crimes against humanity

Speaking during the assembly of state parties to the International Criminal Code in the Hague on Tuesday, the head of the Iranian delegation, Abbas Bagherpour, called all forms of unilateral sanctions a crime against humanity.

Bagherpour demanded that the international community address the impacts of such sanctions on citizens of the targeted country, particularly the most vulnerable sections such as the patients of terminal diseases.

Iran has been subjected to such sanctions from the US and some of the European countries over its nuclear program. The sanctions not only cripple the general economy of Iran, they also restrict its access to critical drugs necessary for the treatment of patients suffering from terminal diseases.

Comprehensive unilateral sanctions regimes have been imposed against many other countries across the globe such as Cuba and Venezuela, severely limiting their economic development and denying their citizens access to critical medicine.

Bagherpour argued that unilateral coercive measures, as sanctions not approved by the UN are generally referred to, target the lives and health of ordinary citizens and therefore fall under the purview of international criminal law.

Iran questioned the failure of the international institutions such as the ICC to end unilateral measures, claiming it harms the reputation and legitimacy of these institutions.

Iran also questioned the failure of the ICC and other international institutions to check the impunity enjoyed by countries such as Israel or the US despite them committing crimes against humanity, such as the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

The failure of the ICC in persecuting Israel or the US is like the normalization of genocide and unilateralism, Bagherpour underlined.

Bagherpour also informed that the Iranian parliament is considering a bill on “international crime” which will “establish a specialized framework for persecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression, showcasing Iran’s willingness to cooperate internationally” on the issue.