Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tells the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the United States is an “outlaw bully” that the world body should not surrender to, warning that giving in to Washington’s pressure threatens to restore the “law of the jungle.”
According to Press TV, Zarif was addressing a virtual UNSC meeting on Tuesday surrounding Washington’s push to have the Council extend an arms embargo against Iran that will expire in October under a historic nuclear accord endorsed by the council’s Resolution 2231.
“The international community in general, and the United Nations Security Council, in particular, are facing an important decision,” he said.
“Do we maintain respect for the rule of law or do we return to the law of the jungle by surrendering to the whims of an outlaw bully?” the top diplomat asked.
Zarif warned, “If this council falters again, it will be a generational setback for the cause of multilateralism, and the rule of law.”
He reminded, “We have all, in past years, seen how malign US unilateralism has intensely assaulted international cooperation and international institution,” adding, “Its (the US’s) parallel endeavor to supplant international law with US domestic laws has directly undermined global peace and security.”
The foreign minister deplored the “complacency” that has allowed Washington to come this far.
Zarif also noted how Iran continued to observe the JCPOA’s provisions even despite the US withdrawal and its European allies’ “over-compliance” with Washington’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
Note of warning
Zarif said the European parties had to ensure Iran's legitimate benefits by fulfilling their JCPOA commitments.
Otherwise “Iran will have no option but to restore a semblance of balance” to retaliate against their non-compliance to their contractual commitments, he added.
He also called for convention of another ministerial meeting of the JCPOA’s remaining partners to look at the status quo.
Zarif, meanwhile, wondered how come the UN had come to pick on Iran while “not a single” Council session has been convened to address the US’s egregious violations.
Russia, China berate US
The countries’ envoys took the chance to berate Washington for its anti-Tehran push.
Russia’s Vasily Nebenzia warned about an “uncontrollable escalation” as the United States keeps up the push.
He said Washington would not be allowed to try and have the Security Council legitimize its “maximum pressure” policy — under which Trump ordered the withdrawal from the JCPOA and return of the sanctions against Iran.
“We cannot accept an attempt to get a blessing for the US-desired maximum pressure policy through the Security Council, to legitimize it,” he said. “What we get in the end is an uncontrollable escalation.”
In turn, Chinese envoy Zhang Jun underlined that “having quit the JCPOA, the US is no longer a participant and has no right to trigger a snapback at the Security Council,” referring to another intention announced by Washington to try and restore all UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
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