TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denounced sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western governments as inhumane measures that should be classified as crimes against humanity. Speaking in a post on X on Wednesday, Araghchi rejected the notion often promoted by Western leaders that sanctions are a “bloodless alternative to war,” pointing to a new study by the UK-based medical journal The Lancet.
According to Araghchi, the study reveals that unilateral sanctions, particularly those enforced by Washington, may be as deadly as armed conflict, with more than 500,000 lives lost annually since the 1970s—most of them children and the elderly. He argued that such measures inflict severe harm on vulnerable populations and must be confronted collectively by the nations affected.
The foreign minister called for a united international response, stating, “It is high time for inhumane sanctions imposed by the US and its accomplices to be recognized as crimes against humanity. Targeted nations should coordinate efforts to forge a unified and collective response.” Iran, which has faced decades of harsh Western sanctions due to its resistance to unilateral policies, remains among the countries most severely impacted by such economic restrictions.
