Russia: No Grounds for New Anti-Iran UNSC Resolution

EghtesadOnline: The United States may attempt to impose additional restrictions on Iran through the United Nations Security Council, but there are no grounds for it, says Russia’s ambassador to the world body, Vassily Nebenzia.

News ID: ۷۴۶۳۹۷

31 December 2018

“We do not exclude the possibility that the United States will try to do this [introduce a new resolution] to the Security Council,” the senior diplomat told Sputnik in recent remarks, UrduPoint reported.

“On my part, I would like to stress that so far no one has presented to the Security Council any significant facts of the so-called Iranian violations. Therefore, we see no reason even to start a theoretical discussion on imposing restrictive measures against Tehran,” the envoy added.

US President Donald Trump declared in May that he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, unraveling the signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama and isolating the United States from its western allies, Financial Tribune reported.

Trump had complained that the 2015 agreement reached by Tehran and world powers after years of grueling negotiations did not cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or regional activities, or address the issue of what happens after the deal begins to expire in 2025.

The Islamic Republic has rejected any negotiations over its ballistic missile program, which it says is solely defensive in nature and does not violate any Security Council resolution.

It has also defended its regional policies as constructive and accused the US and some of its allies of being the rogue players in the Middle East.

Stringent Sanctions

Following its exit, the United States reimposed stringent sanctions on Iran, including on its oil and banking sectors, which have left the accord in tatters.

Iran has remained in the deal, which restricted its nuclear activities in return for ending most economic sanctions. So did France, Germany and Britain.

The European Union will soon launch a mechanism, a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle, aiming to sidestep the US financial system by using an EU intermediary to handle trade with Iran as part of a larger effort to preserve the economic benefits promised to the country under the deal.

China and Russia, other signatories to the deal, joined Iran in criticizing the United States for violating the accord, technically known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that the US pullout and its reimposition of nuclear-related sanctions were in contravention of the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the landmark pact.

Article 25 of the UN Charter reads: “The members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present charter.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, has on various occasions expressed support for the agreement, saying it created “the world’s most robust verification regime”.

The agency, which polices the JCPOA, has also said in multiple reports that Tehran is abiding by its commitments to the deal.