UN Experts: Iranians With Blood Disorder are Dying Due to US Sanctions

UN experts said this week that US sanctions on Iran are causing more deaths of Iranians with thalassemia, a congenital blood disorder that requires specialized medicine.

“The lack of access to medication has resulted in many more deaths,” two UN experts, Alena Douhan and Obiora C. Okafor, said, according to a press release put out by the UN on Tuesday.

“Since the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran by the US in 2018, over-compliance with sanctions has escalated, affecting the import of life-saving iron-regulating medicines for Iranian thalassemia patients. This not only violates their right to health, but also results in increased complications and mortality rates,” Douhan and Okafor said.

The US insists that sanctions on Iran technically have exemptions for humanitarian goods. But history shows international banks and companies generally avoid doing business with heavily-sanctioned nations altogether due to fears of running afoul of the restrictions.