US Unilateralism Obstructing N. Disarmament in World

Rasa - Iran's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Eshagh Al Habib rapped the US unilateralism as the core obstacle on the way to nuclear disarmament in the world.

News ID: 441077

Date: 17 October 2018 - 10:18

RNA - The Iranian diplomat made the remarks on Monday addressing the debate session of UN General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) where delegates from all over the world voiced their concern over the possible breakdown of the Iran nuclear deal and discussed ways to get collective disarmament efforts back on track.

Al Habib said that systematic attempts have been made to undermine the value, significance and efficacy of multilateralism, to demonize multilateral institutions and agreements and to disregard global rules and norms.

"One clear example is the illegal United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is the outcome of long and intensive multilateral diplomatic efforts to resolve a manufactured crisis and build trust," he said.

"Violating its commitments under the agreement as well as Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), the United States brazenly forces others to either violate the resolution or face punishment. Under such circumstances, 'doing nothing is not an option', he said, calling on Member States to defend multilateralism as the foundation of the rules‑based international system and to seek ways to advance multilateral cooperation on disarmament and non‑proliferation.

At the same time, he denounced a lack of meaningful effort put forth by nuclear‑weapon States to implement their obligations to eliminate their arsenals. “The core problem of nuclear disarmament is unilateralism, in particular the unilateral nuclear actions and policies of the United States,” he said, affirming that as long as the current United States nuclear policy remains, no progress will be made towards disarmament. The lack of progress in the establishment of a nuclear‑weapon‑free zone in the Middle East is another matter of deep concern, he continued, noting that peace and stability cannot be achieved in the volatile region as long as the Israeli nuclear arsenal exists.

In return, the US representative said his country is seeking a “comprehensive” deal with Iran, which covers its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as well as its regional influence. He added that the JCPOA does not serve the United States’ interests.

The representative of Iran responded to his counterpart from the United States, reiterating the country’s violations of the JCPOA.

The Government of the United States was obfuscating facts and violating international commitments. The JCPOA was negotiated and concluded because the United States was trying to deny Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activities. The Security Council then endorsed the agreement by consensus, but now the United States is violating its commitments without any justification for such actions. The International Atomic Energy Agency explained its position regarding Iran’s cooperation, which has been sufficient for other Member States.  But, the United States seeks to undermine the Agency’s credibility, in line with its policy to challenge multilateralism. Iran is now subject to the world’s most robust nuclear surveillance regime.

Responding to comments made by Israel’s representative, Al Habib said Iran is at the forefront of fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq. Israel is occupying the State of Palestine, killing Palestinians daily and launching aggressions against its neighbors and beyond. Moreover, Israel is not complying with General Assembly resolutions. Nuclear weapons in the hands of such a regime pose a great threat to the peace and security of the region, he said.

US President Donald Trump has pledged to bring Iran's oil imports down to zero. On Thursday, he said the US "will take care" of countries which defy the directive.

"We will take care of them," Trump told reporters when asked about the decision of some countries like India and China to continue to purchase oil from Iran.

Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said last Monday that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November.

Iran signed the JCPOA with the the US, Britain, France, Russia and China  as well as Germany in 2015. Based on it, Iran agreed to restrict certain aspects of its nuclear energy activities in return for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions against the country.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington would no longer remain part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and promised to re-impose the highest level of economic sanctions against Iran.

The sanctions reinstated on Iran on May 8 included boycott of Iran's crude supplies and bans on transfer of its crude revenues. There is a 180 days interval before these sanctions come into effect. Other US secondary sanctions were reinstated last month.

After Trump's declaration, the Iranian government issued a statement, calling the US withdrawal as "unlawful". The statement underlined Iran's prerequisites for continuing the deal with the five world powers. These conditions that were reiterated later by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei later mainly included Iran's guaranteed crude sales and transfer of its revenues back home.

Two months later, the other five powers party to the nuclear deal have failed to satisfy Iran. President Hassan Rouhani voiced his disappointment over a recent package of incentives proposed by the European Union countries to Tehran, and said that the Islamic Republic expected a much better, clearer and explicit stance by the EU.

"Unfortunately, the EU’s package of proposals lacked an operational solution and a specific method for cooperation, and featured just a set of general commitments like the previous statements by the European Union," President Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 5.

President Rouhani pointed to US' unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, and said, "After the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran has been dealing with economic issues and problems in banking relations and oil, and foreign companies that have invested in Iran are skeptical about continuing their business."

The Iranian president, however, said that the package proposed by the three European countries (the UK, Germany, and France) on how they are going to live up to their commitments and cooperation under the JCPOA was “disappointing”.

President Rouhani reiterated that the JCPOA was a mutual commitment, and said, "Iran had expected a clear plan from the three European countries after the two months’ time they have been given to come up with solid guarantees to ensure Iran’s economic interests would continue to be met despite US pullout and reinstatement of sanctions."

The Iranian president, however, said that Tehran would continue cooperation with Europe if the outcome of the July 6 Vienna talks would be promising.

“If the process of the European foreign ministers’ meeting in Vienna, which is aimed at encouraging Iran to cooperate, is promising, we will continue our cooperation with Europe,” Rouhani added.

But the Vienna talks July 6 among foreign ministers from Iran and the five world powers (Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain) failed to satisfy Iran with senior officials in Tehran complaining that the Europeans had offered nothing new to ensure Iran’s continued merits under the deal.

On July 8, the Iranian parliament's research center has readied a comprehensive plan that includes a detailed list of policies and moves to fight off sanctions as Washington sped up attempts to rally international support for intensified pressures on Tehran.

The comprehensive "active anti-sanctions plan" that has been compiled at the parliament research center after long studies and consultations with experts from Iranian research and academic centers, traders and entrepreneurs is now under study by senior Judiciary, Parliament and Government officials for a final editing.

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