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The U.S. sanctions against Iran has had negative humanitarian impacts on the Iranian society. Due to broad nature of the U.S. sanctions against Iran, Iranians' right to health, education, and other human rights aspects has been adversely impacted. U.S. secondary sanctions has led to "over-compliance" by the companies.

Butterfly kids, haemophilics and people with HIV disease are among the most affected vulnerable groups. U.S. sanctions had also hindered Iran's ability to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Humanitarian aspects

The U.S. sanctions against Iran are accompanied by negative humanitarian impacts. According to international law, the United States must assess the impact of its sanctions on Iranians' rights and address any breaches caused by sanctions. Because of the vast network of US sanctions, banks and firms have withdrawn from humanitarian trade with Iran, leaving Iranians with rare or severe diseases unable to obtain the medicine and treatments needed.

According to Alena Douhan, the U.N. special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, the groups including " severe diseases, disabled people, Afghan refugees, women-led households and children" are adversely affected by the measures. She added that "sanctions have been substantially exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Iran."

Medical and Pharmaceutical aspects

Pharmaceuticals and medical equipment do not fall under international sanctions, but Iran is facing shortages of drugs for the treatment of 30 illnesses—including cancer, heart and breathing problems, thalassemia and multiple sclerosis (MS)—because it is not allowed to use international payment systems. According to a survey by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, drug imports to Iran from the United States and Europe declined by around 30% in 2012.

In 2013, "The Guardian" stated that over 85,000 cancer patients required rare forms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Western governments had established exemptions within the sanctions regime to ensure that vital medications could get through, but these exemptions were in conflict with blankedt banking restrictions and limits on "dual-use" chemicals that may have both a medical and a military function.

Butterfly kids

The epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a severe and potentially fatal skin condition that causes excruciatingly painful wounds and is mostly seen in children, who are dubbed "butterfly kids" due to their delicate skin. In spite of this, a Swedish company that manufactures the bandages that are said to be the most effective therapy for their condition has decided to stop shipments to Iran due to fears about secondary sanctions as a result of over-compliance.

Haemophilia

Approximately 40,000 haemophilics were unable to obtain blood-clotting medications, and operations on haemophiliacs were effectively postponed due to the risks posed by the shortages. A haemophilic teenage boy died from his illness as a result of a pharmaceutical shortage caused by the sanctions.

HIV

An estimated 23,000 Iranians with HIV/AIDS had extremely limited access to the medications they require. The organization representing the 8,000 Iranians with thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder, reported that its members were starting to die given the lack of an essential medicine, deferoxamine, needed to regulate the iron content of the blood. In addition, Iran was unable to purchase medical equipment such as autoclaves, which are required for the creation of numerous medications, since some of the largest Western pharmaceutical corporations declined to carry out business with the country.

During the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, China, the United Kingdom, the Group of 77, and experts urged the United States to ease sanctions on Iran to assist it in combating the increasing coronavirus outbreak. "There is no doubt that Iran’s capacity to respond to the novel coronavirus has been hampered by the Trump administration's economic sanctions, and the death toll is likely much higher than it would have been as a result," Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-director Mark Weisbrot said. He added that there was no doubt that the sanctions had hindered Iran's ability to contain the outbreak, resulting in more illnesses and potentially the virus' spreading outside the country's boundaries.

The management of COVID-19 crisis in Iran was made more complicated as a result of the sanctions consequences. Human Rights Watch issued a statement on April 6 2020,urging the US to ease sanctions against Iran so that Iran could have "access to crucial humanitarian resources during the pandemic."

Bloomberg reported in October 2020 that US sanctions had blocked the shipping of 2 million doses of influenza vaccination. The Red Crescent Society of Iran reported that the severe economic sanctions rendered the local Shahr Bank insolvent, thereby halting the vital cargo.

See also

• Maximum pressure campaign

References

1. ^ Vahdat, Amir. "UN envoy: US sanctions on Iran worsen humanitarian situation". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
2. ^ "Over-compliance with US sanctions hurting Iran's 'butterfly kids'". UN News. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
3. Moret, Erica S. (2 January 2015). "Humanitarian impacts of economic sanctions on Iran and Syria". European Security. 24 (1): 120–140. doi:10.1080/09662839.2014.893427. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
4. "Iran: Sanctions Threatening Health". Human Rights Watch. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
5. "Iran Sanctions Result In Shortages of Cancer Drugs, Heart Medicine". Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
6. Varkiani, Adrienne. "Ordinary People Will Finally Begin To See Benefits Of The Iranian Nuclear Deal". ThinkProgress. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
7. ^ Borger, Julian; Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (13 January 2013). "Iran unable to get life-saving drugs due to international sanctions". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
8. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (14 November 2012). "Haemophiliac Iranian boy 'dies after sanctions disrupt medicine supplies'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
9. Wintour, Patrick (18 March 2020). "UK presses US to ease Iran sanctions to help fight coronavirus". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
10. "US Government Should Immediately Lift Economic Sanctions to Avoid Causing More Deaths From Pandemic, Economists Say". Center for Economic and Policy Research. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
11. Takian, Amirhossein; Raoofi, Azam; Kazempour-Ardebili, Sara (March 2020). "COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran". The Lancet. 395 (10229): 1035–1036. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30668-1. ISSN 0140-6736. PMC 7138170. PMID 32199073.
12. "Human Rights Watch Urges US to Ease Sanctions on Iran Amidst Growing Pandemic". VOA News. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
13. "Iran Says U.S. Sanctions Halted Delivery of 2 Million Flu Vaccines". Bloomberg.com. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2022.