Addressing the United Nations General Assembly during a session on ending the US embargo against Cuba, Iranian Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Gholamhossein Darzi reaffirmed Iran’s solidarity with the Cuban government and people, condemned Washington’s decades-long blockade, and called for accountability and reparations for the damages it has caused.
What follows is the full text of his speech:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Mr. President,
I extend our warmest welcome to His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
This is the thirty-fourth time that this Assembly has reaffirmed its firm opposition to unrestrained unilateralism, reckless foreign policies, and unilateral coercive measures imposed by a government that places itself above international law while continuing to violate it systematically and in the most serious manner.
Unilateral sanctions, including so-called autonomous sanctions, are rooted in unilateralism and coercion, and thus endanger multilateralism, destabilize international relations, and undermine the UN Charter and international law.
As a tool of collective punishment against targeted nations, they violate fundamental human rights, obstruct peace, undermine the right to development, and impede the establishment of a just, peaceful, and equitable international order.
Over six decades of unilateral sanctions and blockade by the U.S. against Cuba constitute flagrant coercion against a sovereign and independent state, inflicting immense hardship on its people, undermining their fundamental human rights, and obstructing their development.
Its intensification under the cynical pretext of promoting democracy exposes the profound contradiction between its stated objectives and its devastating human consequences. It is weaponizing democracy; not promoting it.
No government is allowed to dictate the political future of a sovereign nation. By any standard, such policies and practices, including economic warfare, are unlawful, immoral, and inhumane.
Therefore, not only must this decades-long, unlawful, and inhumane embargo be lifted immediately, but the Cuban people must also receive full reparation from the imposing State for all damages incurred.
Additionally, all those responsible for perpetuating these policies must be held accountable.
Mr. President,
Having itself endured acts of aggression and the consequences of economic coercion and blockade imposed by the U.S., the Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its unequivocal opposition to any and all sanctions against sovereign and independent States, including Cuba.
Such sanctions harm ordinary people, especially women, children, and older persons, undermining their health, safety, and well-being, and creating serious barriers to development, which is essential to the full enjoyment of human rights.
They seriously violate the human rights of an entire nation by weaponizing the human rights of that very nation. This is not defending human rights; it is blatant hypocrisy.
This reminds us of the so-called “help” that the U.S. President promised the Iranian people when he said, “Help is on its way.” A few days later and on his order, the U.S. forces bombed a primary school in Minab, brutally killing 168 children between 7 and 12 years old.
Mr. President,
The Assembly must compel the U.S. to implement the dozens of resolutions adopted with the support of the overwhelming majority of the international community, rejecting the embargo against Cuba and calling on the U.S. to end its economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba.
We must neither overlook nor underestimate the serious legal implications of unilateral coercive measures for the international legal order, particularly in the current turbulent international environment.
The UN Charter is founded on sovereign equality, international cooperation, and the development of friendly relations among nations, as enshrined in Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter.
UCMs violate all these principles, as well as the principle of non-intervention, particularly when they seek to compel States to change their domestic policies, while Article 2(7) prohibits intervening in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of States.
More importantly, the invocation of human rights can in no way justify measures that inflict widespread suffering on innocent people, given that sanctions imposed in the name of protecting human rights themselves undermine the rights to health, food, development, and a dignified life.
In effect, they target ordinary people and operate in practice as a form of collective punishment. They target the most vulnerable the most. This is not the protection of human rights; it is their denial through economic coercion. It is the instrumentalization and weaponization of human rights.
While the Charter calls for international cooperation in solving global problems and promoting friendly relations among nations, UCMs instead foster confrontation, deepen divisions, and undermine the foundations of peaceful coexistence.
They stand in direct tension and contradiction with the letter, spirit, object, and purpose of the Charter.
In effect, sanctions are examples of economic terrorism, while blockades enforced by armed force, constitute acts of aggression under international law.
Despite their different forms and degrees of severity, these measures share a deeply troubling feature: they undermine the sovereignty of States, inflict human suffering, and materially violate international law, consequently rendering them both unlawful and illegitimate.
A policy that sacrifices the well-being of millions for political objectives cannot be reconciled with the principles of humanity, morality, or international solidarity.
Mr. President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Government and resilient people of Cuba in their struggle against the embargo and other unjust coercive measures.
We will continue to advocate for the elimination of unilateral coercive measures and urge this Assembly to intensify its efforts to bring these measures, including the embargo against Cuba, to an immediate end.
The time has come to end these unlawful and inhumane practices. Their continuation is not only a failure of international responsibility but also an unmistakable manifestation of human and moral bankruptcy.
I thank you.