Iran stands in solidarity with Cuba against US sanctions
3 Min Read
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has condemned the United States for maintaining its comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba.
-
An undated image of Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (IRNA)
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned the United States for its ongoing comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic supports Cuba in its "long-standing struggle for sovereignty, freedom, and dignity."
In a post on the social media platform X on Thursday, Esmaeil Baghaei responded to a UN General Assembly resolution overwhelmingly passed to denounce US unilateral coercive measures against Cuba for the 32nd consecutive year.
He noted that of the 193-member assembly, 187 voted to end Washington's economic embargo on Havana, with only the Israeli entity and the United States opposing it.
“We stand in solidarity with Cuba in its long-standing struggle for its sovereignty, freedom, and dignity,” Baghaei stated.
Before the UN vote on Wednesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla said that the votes in favor would “reaffirm the right of our people and of all peoples to defend their independence, sovereignty, and self-determination without interference and foreign intervention.”
He emphasized that the resolution calls for an end to abuse and injustice, asserting that Cuba deserves to live without a blockade. He further noted that supporting the resolution would acknowledge the courageous Resistance of the noble, proud, and brotherly Cuban people.
UNGA adopts resolution urging US to lift embargo on Cuba
The United Nations General Assembly passed its annual resolution on Wednesday urging the United States to eliminate economic, commercial, and financial restrictions, according to Sputnik.
The resolution titled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" was supported by 187 countries. The United States and "Israel" voted against it, with Moldova abstaining.
Since 1992, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on a yearly basis to demand an end to unilateral US restrictions on Cuba, with the document having the support of a majority of UN member states.
Unlike the resolutions of the UN Security Council, those adopted by the UN General Assembly are nonbinding.
Cuba urges US to remove it from list of 'state sponsors of terrorism'
Back in May, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the United States to remove it from the "list of state sponsors of terrorism" following Washington's decision to remove the Caribbean country from the short list of countries deemed "not cooperating fully" on counterterrorism.
"By confirming what is already widely known, that Cuba cooperates in the battle against terrorism, the United States should do what is correct and consistent – to remove Cuba from the State Department's arbitrary list and end the coercive economic measures that accompany it," Diaz-Canel said on X.
The United States had dropped its claims that Cuba is not cooperating on terrorism. In a report to Congress, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Syria, and Venezuela – were "not cooperating fully" on counterterrorism.
"Moreover, the United States and Cuba resumed law enforcement cooperation in 2023, including on counterterrorism," a State Department spokesperson said.
"Therefore, the Department determined that Cuba's continued certification as a 'not fully cooperating country' was no longer appropriate."
