In recent years people in the world have witnessed and believed that the UN is losing its effectiveness when it comes to react to the world powers’ offences and in support of the weaker parties. There are several cases whereint the UN has shown the world that it is unable to take a fair action.
The International Court of Justice is one of the crucial arms of the UN for spreading justice in the world but its verdicts are ignored by the offenders and it has turned into a toothless tool. The best example regarding to the toothless of the ICJ is its verdicts against the U.S. in a case lodged by the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Thursday, Iran criticized the UN and the ICJ for its passiveness regarding its verdict against the U.S.
Iran’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations said that the U.S. administration continues to disregard orders issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have been handed down in cases filed by Iran against US and vice versa.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks in an address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, emphasizing that Iran acknowledges “the vital role of the ICJ in the prevention of hostilities and mitigation of crises through peaceful settlement of disputes as well as in strengthening the rule of law, preserving international order and tackling unilateral measures.”
“Due to adoption of a number of legislative and executive acts in the United States in flagrant violation of international law, the immunity of states and their properties from suit before U.S. courts as well as immunity from jurisdiction and enforcement have been removed against Iran,” he added.
Takht-Ravanchi noted that as a result of the filing of cases in the U.S. courts against Iran as well as its officials and the Central Bank (CBI), “the assets of the CBI have been subjected to execution in order to satisfy a default judgment.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that such asset blocking and enforcement proceedings against the CBI and certain Iranian companies and banks in the U.S. is in violation of provisions of ‘Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights of 1955’ between the two countries,” Iran’s UN envoy said.
Takht-Ravanchi said following the unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the unlawful re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran, Iran filed an application instituting proceedings against the U.S. with regard to violations of multiple provisions of the Treaty of Amity.
He said on October 3, 2018, the ICJ issued an order unanimously requiring the U.S. to remove any impediments on the importation of foodstuffs as well as medicines and medical devices to Iran and also ordered Washington to ensure that the licenses and necessary authorizations are granted and that payments and other transfers of funds are not subject to any restriction in so far as they relate to the aforementioned goods and services.
“Regrettably, the United States has not only failed to comply with the Court’s Order but, by imposing new sanctions, especially during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has also deliberately defied that Order,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
Iran, he noted, has on several occasions brought the U.S. non-compliance with the Order to the Court’s attention and the answer provided by the U.S. in this regard has always been a repetition of its previous contentions; that humanitarian transactions are exempt from its sanctions.
However, Takht-Ravanchi added, “through tightening the grip of sanctions after the Court’s Order, the U.S. … violated this Order which requires that ‘Both parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve’.”
Tehran has on multiple occasions called on the United Nations court to order the immediate lifting of the sanctions, and demanded compensation for damages incurred in their wake.
In fact Takht-Ravanchi’s remarks show that the U.S. only follows the law of the jungle and the thesis of the might is right and the UN’s order is something which is easily ignored by the U.S. or is vetoed by this arrogant country.
If the UN and its arms are to be trusted by the world, it should be powerful enough to bring any offender to the court and punish it, and it should not let big powers dodge punishment because of their power and veto powers.
If this international body functions ineffectively and passively, it will have the same fate that its predecessor, the League of Nations, faced in 1946 when it stopped operations and the UN replaced it.
So cases like the U.S. and Israel’s offences are the best chances for the UN to show it is an international body that everyone can trust it or else, it should not expect nations to respect and carry out its decisions because this approach promotes the law of the jungle in the world and unfortunately it is a truth that law of the jungle is gradually dominating the world unless the UN shows its real nature of backing justice and peace in the world.
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