UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday told a United Nations high-level meeting that Iranian people are subjected to the most brutal form of "economic terrorism."
"Regional threats and insecurity caused by foreign-sponsored terrorism, extremism and violence, hamper our efforts. Our people are also subjected to the most brutal form of 'economic terrorism' -- deliberately targeting innocent civilians to achieve illegitimate political objectives," Zarif told the ministerial meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on sustainable development goals (SDGs), which aim to tackle issues including conflict, hunger, gender equality and climate change by 2030.
"The unlawful extraterritorial economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States in violation of Security Council Resolution 2231 represent the greatest threat to the achievement of sustainable development goals of Iran and many of our neighbors," he noted.
"A renewed commitment to multilateralism and global solidarity is urgently needed. This should also entail, among others, the developed world re-visiting its commitment to help create an enabling environment for sustained economic growth and sustainable development of all countries, regions, and ultimately the planet as a whole," said the foreign minister, who arrived in New York on Sunday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' report about the progress of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SDGs indicates sluggish progress in many areas, and underlines "that the most vulnerable people and countries continue to suffer the most and that the global response thus far has not been ambitious enough," Zarif said.
He also echoed the secretary-general's remarks that "inequality between and within countries is disturbingly high" and that "development is not sustainable if it is not fair and inclusive."
"Failure so far can be attributed to the failure of the developed world in keeping their side of the bargain, including those related to transfer of technology, capacity building and financial assistance," he said.
