A nurse wearing a protective suit and mask tends to a baby who is affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Hazrate Ali Asghar Hospital, in Tehran, Iran September 27, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)

Iran’s representative at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly has denounced as economic terrorism Washington’s unilateral, illegal restrictions that are hampering the country’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak, saying America’s growing unilateralism threatens human rights across the world.

Mohammad Zareian made the remarks while addressing a virtual meeting of the committee, which was also attended by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, on Wednesday.

The Iranian official said that the US’s coercive unilateral measures pose a real threat to human rights.

He criticized affiliated human rights bodies of the UN for their inaction in the face of this crime and genocide, which stems from mass violations of human rights against tens of millions people worldwide.

Highlighting the case of US sanctions against Iran, he said the impact and scope of the unlawful unilateral coercive measures imposed on ordinary Iranians have even been exacerbated even during pandemic.

The US government has targeted, for political gains, my fellow citizens, in particular, the most vulnerable among them, including women, children, the elderly and those in need of medical attention. This is nothing but an act of economic terrorism, the envoy said.

Since pulling out of a historic multilateral deal with Iran and other major powers in 2018, the US has been piling up pressure on Iran through reinstating the sanctions that had been lifted under the agreement and adding new bans.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) later ordered the US to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran.

Defying the ruling as well as international criticism, Washington has even further tightened its economic sanctions against Iran since the coronavirus began spreading across the country in March.

The administration of US President Donald Trump claims the sanctions do not target the delivery of humanitarian items to the Iranian people, but that has actually been the case as the bans have made foreign banks and companies extremely wary of engaging in any trade with Tehran.