The effects Unilateral sanctions On human rights Emphasizing USA sanctions against Iran

Unilateral sanctions are becoming an international practice for the governments nowadays. The legitimacy of imposing sanctions, as measures not included in the UN Charter of Collective Security System, is questioned in terms of compliance with international legal standards. In justifying their unilateral actions, mainly the sanctioning states refer to the principle of freedom of governments to establish or stop their trade relations with other countries; however, according to paragraphs (a) and (b) of Article (42) of the International Liability of States Plan, the government imposing the sanctions directly impacts on the performance of the sanctioned country by imposing unbridled sanctions and the sanctioned government is liable against its residents and people due to not fulfilling its human rights obligations. The observance or violation of international legal standards by the countries that impose sanctions has an important role in the legitimacy or illegitimacy of the imposed sanctions, but given that unilateral sanctions are mainly imposed by the powerful countries, we have rarely witnessed the withdrawal of the sanctioning countries from their position even when their unilateral sanctions are illegitimate. Therefore, the present study, employing descriptive-analytical method and using library resources, while identifying and accurately assessing the human rights effects of unilateral sanctions, presented effective and efficient solutions to reduce them as an important responsibility of the target governments and the global community.