Why it matters:
Tehran highllights the decades-long U.S. blockade as a clear violation of international law and human rights, amid growing international opposition and worsening humanitarian conditions in Cuba.
The big picture:
The President of Cuba condemned the Washington’s “violent attempt” to “severely suffocate” the Cuban people and thanked African leaders for supporting Havana at the African Union summit.The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently called for the lifting of U.S. oil sanctions on Cuba, saying their broad impact constitutes a violation of human rights.
International criticism of Washington’s Cuba policy has intensified as the island faces its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, soaring inflation, prolonged power outages, declining production, a large fiscal deficit, and mass migration.
What he's saying:
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denounced the tightening of the U.S. economic blockade, calling it an inhumane policy that has inflicted severe material and humanitarian damage on Cuba for more than 64 years.
Baghaei said the sanctions constitute a “gross violation” of fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law, including the right to self-determination, respect for national sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs.
He stressed that the United States must be held accountable for the systematic violation of these principles and for widespread harm to the Cuban people, describing the consequences as amounting to crimes against humanity.
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