Envoy: US' maximum pressure on Iran example of state terrorism

Tehran, Oct 9, IRNA - Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN deplored the US maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic as an “example of state terrorism” aimed at creating suffering and social unrest in the country. "The policy of maximum pressure by the US on Iran is designed to deliberately and indiscriminately target the innocent civilians with the aim of creating suffering and hardship, as well as stoking social unrest in accordance with the flawed policy of regime change,” Takht Ravanchi said while addressing a meeting of the UN General Assembly's sixth committee on counter-terrorism on Thursday evening. He reaffirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism, as well as economic and medical terrorism, which are carried out through unilateral coercive measures. The Iranian ambassador pointed out that terrorizing the nations has long been a major global challenge for the international community as it kills countless innocent people and at the same time leads to devastating consequences for the stability and security of nations. Takht Ravanchi reiterated that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the health condition of many communities, and said that the imposition of the US laws and regulations with an extraterritorial impact "on my country and other countries is, by definition, tantamount to terrorism, which has severely exacerbated general health conditions during the epidemic". “Coercive measures are a manifestation of structural violence that violates human rights, the right to peace, the right to development, the right to health and, above all, the right to life,” he added. On Thursday, the US Treasury Department defied Europe's humanitarian objections and targeted Iran’s financial sector by imposing sanctions on 18 Iranian banks with the aim of cutting off the Islamic Republic from the world's financial system. Despite claims made by the US Treasury that the sanctions will not apply to transactions for the provision of agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran, European diplomats have asserted that US sanctions will have dire humanitarian consequences. The new sanctions come in blatant defiance of growing international calls for Washington to ease its Iran sanctions, which have severely prevented the country’s access to lifesaving medical items as the world is grappling to contain the deadly virus. In relevant remarks last month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the US sanctions amid the global pandemic, and said that the White House knows nothing about humanity. Takht Ravanchi, meantime, pointed to the US assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and said that the brutal and cowardly act was a “clear example of state terrorism” in gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law. Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3. Stressing that the targeted killing by the US was a great gift to the ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region, Takht Ravanchi said the Islamic Republic has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, specially in countering and eliminating the ISIL and other UN-designated terrorist groups that receive financial and material support from certain countries in the region and beyond. “It is a proven fact that the United States is spreading terrorism not only in our region but almost everywhere in the world,” he said. “The United States has contributed to the creation of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Daesh through its interventionist policies in our region,” he added. Takht Ravanchi also said that the US continues to train and supply weapons and explosives to its terrorist agents and partners, including PJAK, Tondar and Jaish ul-Adl, to carry out terrorist attacks in Iran. The US airstrike on January 3 also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport. Five Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport. On January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani. Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare. The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani" reprisal operation. Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army. It was the first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two. The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted. Meantime, Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of the martyred General Soleimani. "36 individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem, including the political and military officials of the US and other governments, have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the Interpol," Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said. He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.