International court of justice orders US to lift new Iran sanctions
International court of justice orders US to lift new Iran sanctions
The UN’s international court of justice has reprimanded the US over its re-imposition of sanctions on Iran, ordering Washington to lift restrictive measures linked to humanitarian trade, food, medicine and civil aviation.
The Hague ruling, delivered on Wednesday morning, is a victory for Iran after it complained to the ICJ in July that the return to sanctions imposed by Donald Trump following the US withdrawal from the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement was in violation of the Treaty of Amity, a 1955 pre-revolutionary friendship treaty.
Iran also argued that the US had violated the terms of the nuclear accord, endorsed by a UN security council resolution, by unilaterally pulling itself out of that agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified 12 times that Iran has abided by the terms of that agreement.
Iran’s lawyers said at the court hearing in August that the US sanctions were blanket measures that had strangled the Iranian economy, affecting ordinary citizens in all aspects of their lives. Wednesday’s ruling, classified as a so-called “provisional measure” before a final verdict that could take years to be issued, was given unanimously. It is binding and cannot be appealed but the ICJ has no means of enforcing it. Washington has argued that the issue is a matter of national security for the US.
It is too early to assess what the ruling’s impact will be in practical terms, given the EU’s backing for the nuclear accord. But the ruling puts on the record that the reimposition of sanctions is viewed as illegal by the international community.
“The court considers that the United States, in accordance with its obligations under the 1955 treaty, must remove, by means of its choosing, any impediments arising from the measures” relating to humanitarian needs, medicines, foodstuff and agricultural commodities and civil aviation, the ruling said.
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Read More: The Guardian
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