UNSC Urged to Stand Up to US Illegal Bid

The Iranian mission to the world body called on the United Nations Security Council to stand up to an “illegal” and “ill-intentioned” move by the United States to extend an arms embargo against Iran. 
In a press release on Thursday, the mission described the US-drafted resolution to extend Iran’s arms ban as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to mollify his domestic base and urged the UN Security Council to stand firm against the aggressive American bid, IRNA reported.
“The US draft resolution, presented in gross violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, is aimed at addressing US domestic policy and has nothing to do with maintaining international peace and security,” the mission said. 
“The draft resolution undermines the integrity, authority and credibility of the Security Council; and by extension, the United Nations, multilateralism, the rule of law and diplomacy.” 
The embargo is to expire in October under UNSC Resolution 2231, which enshrines the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Washington, however, is seeking to keep the arms ban in place through the UNSC resolution by threatening to use a provision in the agreement to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran, if the UN body fails to extend the embargo.
This is while Washington unilaterally abandoned the deal in 2018.
“To satisfy its deep addiction to sanctions and justify its irresponsible behavior in the council, the United States baselessly accuses Iran of [causing] instability in the region,” the Iranian mission said.
“While its interventions, destructive behavior, divisive policies and insatiable appetite for exporting its deadly weapons to countries in the region as well as the presence of a large number of its forces in the Middle East, their involvement, disinformation and destructive acts are the main sources of instability, insecurity and human suffering in this region,” it added.

Time to Uphold UNSC Authority 

The Iranian mission said Security Council members are "expected to resist US illegal and ill-intentioned action, to prevent it from abusing or manipulating the work of the Security Council, and to demonstrate that the 15-member body is capable of supporting the UN Security Council”.
The remaining signatories to the deal, even Washington’s own allies, have repeatedly reminded the US that it is no longer a party to the deal and thus cannot use the provision to restore anti-Iran restrictions.
They have also cautioned that a return of UN sanctions on Iran would likely kill the nuclear deal, because Iran would lose yet another major interest in abiding by the deal.
The US has already reinstated its unilateral economic sanctions against Iran after leaving the deal in defiance of UNSC Resolution 2231, prompting Iran to suspend part of its commitments to the landmark accord in response.
On Tuesday, the US proposed a simplified draft resolution as brief as four paragraphs to extend the arms embargo on Iran in an apparent bid to garner support in the council.
Diplomatic sources and political experts said while the watered-down draft text might win the United States some more votes, it was unclear if Washington could get the minimum nine votes needed to force Russia and China, who are vigorously opposed to the US bid, to exercise their veto right.     
Russia and China have already signaled that they would veto the resolution, even if it gets enough ‘Yes’ votes.   
The UN Security Council started voting on Thursday on the US bid to extend the arms embargo on Iran and the result was to be announced at a meeting on Friday, diplomats told Reuters. 
The 15-member council has been operating virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic so states have 24 hours to cast a vote.