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UN Court issues interim order to U.S for lifting ‘humanitarian goods, civil aviation’ sanctions against Iran

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The United Nations Wednesday issued an interim order requesting the U.S  to lift sanctions linked to humanitarian goods and civil aviation imposed against Iran, Al Jazeera reported.

“On humanitarian grounds, the US must remove by means of its choosing any impediment to the free exportation to Iran of goods involving humanitarian concerns,” the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in its ruling.

However, AJ reported that the ICJ decision is not exactly what the Iranians wanted, nor is it what the Americans wanted.

Iranians would have wanted a “complete lifting of all of the sanctions. They [ICJ judges] talked about parts and equipment for civil aviation – which has been a source of a lot of strife in Iran,” AJ reported.

“Even though this court’s rulings cannot be appealed and they are binding, there is no way to enforce it – especially that the US has left the court,” AJ reported.

Earlier, Iran filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice, or World Court, against the continued US sanctions carried out by the Trump administration, Reuters reported. The lawsuit stated that the US sanctions violate the terms of a 1955 treaty of friendship between two countries.

The World Court is a tribunal that solves international disputes and its rulings are binding. However, it does not possess power to enforce the rulings and have been ignored even on occasion by the United States.

US President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran and had announced sanctions against Tehran.

The European Union decided to aid Iran in a bid to decrease the impact of sanctions and save whats left of the 2015 nuclear arms limitation agreement. Iran has threatened to disregard the agreement if the sanctions are not lifted. On the other hand, the U.S is looking for compliance of sanctions from other countries.

A US envoy for Iran, Brian Hood said that the decision taken by the European Union to give $20.7 million in aid to Tehran ‘sent the wrong message at the wrong time’ and urged Brussels to join hands with Washington to end the threat on global stability by the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.

“More money in the hands of the ayatollah means more money to conduct assassinations in those very European countries,” Hook said.

John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor had told Reuters during a visit to Israel that the return of U.S sanctions was strongly affecting the Iranian economy and opinion.

The sanctions have targeted the car industry, trade in gold and other precious metals, and purchases of U.S. dollar which are mandatory for investment and international financing. Other sanctions which will be imposed in November are on the banking sector and oil exports.

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