TEHRAN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian envoy to the United Nations said that U.S. coercive measures against Iran still pose a "serious threat" to the people's right to health, the semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Zahra Ershadi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks on Tuesday in an address to the 76th UN General Assembly session on global health and foreign policy.
She said though the United States claims that its unilateral measures do not apply to the delivery of foodstuffs and medical items to the country, Washington's sanctions and the Islamic republic's lack of access to the international banking system prevent Tehran from receiving these products through available trade and financial mechanisms.
This comes as the world is still making efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iranian envoy said, noting that "we also express support for the principle that any advancement in global health is primarily dependent on international collaboration and multilateral cooperation, particularly amid worldwide crises."
The Iranian envoy stressed that the necessity of ensuring global access to high-quality and affordable healthcare services is a fundamental priority for international development, noting that the health sector issues must not be politicized solely for the sake of safeguarding certain countries' interests. ■
