Ambassador's Statement: United State's Unilateral Sanctions Against Cuba
The full text of the statement is as follows:
Statement by
H.E. Mr. Amir Saeid Iravani
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Before the United Nations General Assembly
On “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial, and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba”
New York, 7 July 2026
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Mr. President,
Let me begin by expressing our gratitude for convening this meeting under this agenda item once again, and we would also like to welcome Mr. Bruno Rodriguez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
The meeting is both timely and necessary in light of the continued deterioration of the situation in Cuba, resulting from the further tightening of the unilateral embargo imposed by the United States.
It is deeply regrettable that, despite more than six decades of repeated calls by the United Nations General Assembly and the overwhelming majority of the international community, the United States has not only failed to end its embargo and sanctions against an independent and sovereign State, but has instead further tightened the economic, commercial and financial blockade, with devastating consequences for the Cuban people.
The blockade has worsened living conditions, exacerbated fuel shortages, disrupted power generation and electricity supply, undermined the functioning of essential public services, impeded the procurement of food, medicines, and medical supplies, restricted access to other essential goods, and severely constrained the country’s sustainable development.
The United States has compounded these unlawful unilateral coercive measures by coupling them with repeated and reckless threats of the use of force and acts of direct military aggression, in contravention of the Charter of the United Nations and the fundamental principles of international law.
All these unrestrained unilateral and coercive policies, together with the continued imposition of unilateral coercive measures, are aimed at denying an independent country’s right to self-determination and compelling it to submit to external interference in its internal affairs, amounting to an attempt to force Cuba’s capitulation, and constitute a breach of generally recognized principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, including the well-established principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs.
Our unwavering determination to oppose such unilateral and coercive policies, which undermine the very spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and destabilize the international order by placing one Member State above international law, remains steadfast.
As we commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, we all share a collective responsibility not to remain silent in the face of such clear violations of its purposes and principles, notwithstanding our differing political views. The credibility of the Charter depends on its consistent and impartial application.
As a country that has faced military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime on two occasions over the past year, we underscore that upholding the Charter of the United Nations cannot be selective, nor can it be subject to double standards. Any claim regarding Member States’ commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter must be measured by their willingness to condemn policies that endanger international peace and security and to stand united in rejecting such actions wherever and by whomever they occur.
Mr. President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran once again reiterates its firm opposition to any economic, commercial, and financial sanctions imposed on independent and sovereign states, including Cuba, and we will continue to advocate for the complete elimination of all forms of unilateral coercive measures, which undermine individual nations and the very foundations of international cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
I thank you.