U.N Urged to Safeguard Its Reputation Over U.S. Violation of JCPOA
IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK
TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif has written a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to elaborate on the U.S. violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, demanding the international body to safeguard its reputation.
Zarif discussed issues like the U.S. withdrawal from the deal and restoration of sanctions on Iran and intended to draw the attention of the UNSC to the U.S. repeated and overt violation of Article 25 of the UN Charter, which has endangered the credibility and integrity of the United Nations and threatens the international peace and security.
Zarif wrote to Guterres that the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, and restored all the sanctions that had been removed by the deal, which was a basic violation of the JCPOA, which is an overt violation of the UNSC Resolution 2231. Withdrawing from the deal and restoring the sanctions make the US accountable before the UN charted and international human rights.
The U.S. violated UNSC Resolution 2231 that was confirmed with consensus on January 20, 2015. The UN should at once do its duty and make the US accountable for blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law, which will tarnish the UN’s credibility.
It is crystal clear to everyone that the U.S. illegal actions openly ignore the international law and the UN Charter and weaken the principle of the peaceful resolution of disagreements, endangers multilateralism and its institutions, signifies a return to the failed time of unilateralism, and also encourages illegal actions, which all show an open threat to international peace and security.
Zarif also said that Resolution 2231 stresses that “the JCPOA is conducive to promoting and facilitating the development of normal economic and trade contacts and cooperation with Iran”, and “calls upon all members-states, regional organizations, and international organizations to take such actions as may be appropriate to support the implementation of the JCPOA, including by taking actions commensurate with the implementation plan set out in the JCPOA and this resolution and by refraining from actions that undermine implementation of commitments under the JCPOA”.
He wrote not only has the US not acted according to its JCPOA commitments, but it has also kept impeding the measures taken by other members of the deal.
Zarif wrote since President Donald Trump has taken office, the US has taken up unilateral actions and 129 sanctions against Iran to deal an irreparable blow to Iran’s economy and its trade exchanges with other countries. Such negative actions have had a direct impact on the Iranian private sector and have cut the income of ordinary people of Iran and weakened the private sector for production and entrepreneurship. The economic conditions are worse than how it was before the JCPOA.
“The complete list of the sanctions is enclosed to further clarify the issue,” Zarif wrote in his letter.
The U.S. withdrawal from the deal and restoration of the oppressive sanctions on Iran should be considered as a warning against international peace and security. In fact, this is the first time in the history of the UN that a permanent member of the UNSC punishes the member states for following a Security Council resolution.
It is high time that the UNSC and its members guaranteed a complete implementation of the JCPOA by its parties. Instead of passively observing the insulting actions of the US, The UNSC should severely condemn the US re-imposition of illegal sanctions against the people of Iran, which is an overt violation of Resolution 2231 and international law. The US should be made accountable for the damage made to the people of Iran and all the damages should be compensated. The international community should guarantee the implementation of and loyalty to the JCPOA.
Zarif also wrote in his letter to the UN chief that with the U.S. withdrawal from the deal while preserving its rights stipulated in Article 26 of the JCPOA, Iran in an official letter activated Article 36 of the deal on May 10, 2018. To show good faith and to provide the member states of the deal, Iran did not immediately stop its JCPOA commitments.
Zarif wrote to Guterres that as you said, “It is essential that all concerns regarding the implementation of the Plan be addressed through the mechanisms established in the JCPOA.”
Also, as demanded by the international community and the remaining signatories of the JCPOA, while Iran had the right to immediately pursue its rights according to the deal, it decided to pursue them through the Joint Commission and to continue full implementation of the deal.
As mentioned in Iran’s statement issued on January 20, 2015, following the confirmation of the deal in the UNSC, removal of the sanctions by the US and the European Union means that all the trades and activities mentioned in the JCPOA with Iran and the Iranian people should be done with no fear of punishment due to extraterritorial impediments. The JCPOA openly states that both the U.S. and the EU should avoid restoration and re-imposition of the restrictive sanctions that were removed by the JCPOA.
Unfortunately, as the result of the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran since May 2018, Iran has been deprived of the benefits of removal of the sanctions stipulated in the JCPOA. In fact, the understanding was that Iran “will treat such a re-introduction or re-imposition of the sanctions specified in Annex II, or such an imposition of new nuclear-related sanctions, as grounds to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part”. It was stated in Article 26 of the deal.
- source : @IrnaEnglish