The Iranian Foreign Ministry has welcomed a ruling by the UN’s top court ordering the US to halt its unilateral sanctions on “humanitarian” supplies to Iran, saying it is a clear sign that the Islamic Republic is in the right.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the decision made by the International Court of Justice as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and the interim order issued by the court against the US government’s illegal measure to re-instate the unilateral sanctions following this country’s withdrawal from the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
It added that the unanimous decision by the ICJ "is yet another sign that the Islamic Republic of Iran is in the right and the US sanctions against our country’s people and citizens are illegitimate and cruel.”
According to the verdict, which was read out by Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Washington "shall remove by means of its choosing any impediments arising from the measures announced on May 8 to the free exportation to Iran of medicines and medical devices, food and agricultural commodities" as well as airplane parts.
The court further said that sanctions on goods “required for humanitarian needs... may have a serious detrimental impact on the health and lives of individuals on the territory of Iran.”
US sanctions on aircraft spare parts also had the “potential to endanger civil aviation safety in Iran and the lives of its users,” it added.
The ICJ's rulings are binding, but it remains to be seen if the US will comply.
The Hague ruling was announced more than two months after Iran complained to the ICJ in July that US President Donald Trump’s re-imposition of unilateral sanctions against Tehran following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement was in violation of the Treaty of Amity, a 1955 treaty between Iran and the US.
Iran also argued that the US had violated the terms of the JCPOA, endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, by unilaterally pulling itself out of that agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified on numerous occasions that Iran has abided by the terms of the JCPOA.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also said in its statement that the ruling showed that the US government is “day by day getting more isolated” due to its “wrong and extreme policies” and its “excessive demands” in dealing with other countries.
It also noted that the US needs to give up its “addiction” to imposing cruel and illegal sanctions against other nations, urging on the international community and independent countries to foil Washington’s attempts to shirk its international obligations and commitments.
“In light of the reaffirmation by the International Court of Justice of the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the confirmation of the illegitimate and illegal approach of the US government, today the world's public opinion and all independent states are more confident to show their determination to respect international agreements, international law and the responsibility of governments in the preservation and implementation of the JCPOA more than ever,” it added.