Iran still leading global fight against drug trafficking despite sanctions, envoy says

London, May 22, IRNA – Iran's Permanent Ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi said that despite the US unilateral sanctions against Iran, the country is still leading in the global fight against drug trafficking. Gharibabadi made the remarks in a letter to Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Fathi Waly. He called on the United Nations and its member states to carry out their shared responsibility and recognize and support Iran’s activities in this fight. The Iranian ambassador noted that seizure of narcotic drugs increased in Iran 20% last year in comparison to the previous year. Earlier in a UN meeting on the narcotic drugs, Director of Iran’s headquarters of the fight against narcotic drugs Eskandar Momeni said that Iran has the least international support in its campaign against the drugs. He said that Iran counters drug trafficking and terrorism on the one hand and has to battle with arbitrary sanctions on the other hand.