Geneva: Iran’s top human rights official has denounced unilateral sanctions as both illegal and inhumane, stressing that such coercive measures severely undermine the enjoyment of basic human rights.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Nasser Seraj, deputy head of the Judiciary for international affairs and secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, held an interactive dialogue with Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights. The session was held on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Seraj underlined Iran’s firm position that unilateral coercive measures are ‘inherently hostile and illegitimate.’ He said such measures, by nature coercive and aggressive, lack any legal basis under international law. ‘Sanctions, if effective, paralyze a nation and inflict the harshest pressures on its people. If ineffective, their perpetrators resort to blatant aggression and military intervention,’ he said.

The Iranian official also praised the special rapporteur for her consistent efforts and commitment to documenting the human rights consequences of sanctions, stressing that Tehran will continue to highlight the issue in international forums.

The 60th session of the Human Rights Council opened on September 8 and runs until October 8. A high-level Iranian delegation, led by Seraj and joined by representatives from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, is participating in the meetings to present the country’s views and objections to the unlawful and destructive sanctions imposed by certain Western states.