Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has harshly denounced the United States for imposing sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine Territories, calling their move an assault on international law and human rights advocacy.
Zarif issued a statement condemning Washington’s move to sanction Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur for Palestine/Gaza in the UN Security Council, calling this act of US government sanction “politically motivated, unlawful and an assault on moral conscience of international community”.
“This action by the United States represents an attempt by Washington to silence voices who dare expose Palestinian suffering caused by decades of occupation, apartheid policies and war crimes,” Zarif stated. He further added: “Sanctioning a U.N. official for doing her job undermines not only its integrity but sends an irresponsible signal about human rights being negotiable when politics require it.”
Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued sanctions against Albanese after she made statements it argued incited violence and delegitimized Israel. Albanese is widely respected international law expert and human rights activist who has strongly denounced Israeli military operations in Gaza as well as West Bank settlement expansion plans – she has spoken out against violations of international law which she reports and publicly highlights leading her into conflict with pro-Israel groups and some Western officials.
Zarif argued that sanctions mark an alarming precedent by punishing an official of the U.N. for fulfilling her role and shining light on human rights violations. When U.N. rapporteurs are attacked for shining light on atrocities, it signals an attack against human rights defenders as enemies rather than allies – not just within Palestine but across global human rights mechanisms in general.
Former Iranian diplomat Zarif, who played an instrumental role in negotiating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), further criticised Biden administration policy toward the Middle East. While claiming to support international order, “while arming and protecting regimes that violate it daily”, Zarif noted. Furthermore, sanctions revealed double standards within U.S. foreign policy: protecting civilians in Ukraine was seen as admirable whereas protecting Palestinian civilians was met with punishment from Washington.
Iranian officials have joined Zarif in condemning this move, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry issuing a statement of solidarity with Albanese and lauding her “brave and impartial work” in exposing “Israeli war crimes in Gaza and systematic oppression in the West Bank”.
International human rights organizations have also expressed concern. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued statements warning of how sanctions imposed against United Nations personnel could stymie future rapporteurs’ reporting, particularly in politically volatile regions. Though no official response from the UN itself has yet been given publicly or officially, several member states have privately voiced alarm about its implications.
As the Gaza conflict intensifies and international outrage over humanitarian crises in the region grows, Zarif’s remarks serve as a broader warning about multilateralism eroding and politicizing human rights advocacy. With diplomatic tensions mounting and trust eroding between international institutions, American decisions may reverberate beyond United Nations corridors.