US Hard-Line Policy Poses Global Threat

The US hard-line stance on global issues poses a threat to the entire international community, a senior Iranian diplomat said, denouncing US President Donald Trump's attempts to undermine the Iran nuclear deal.  

Highlighting the harsh turn in the US policy since Trump's swearing-in in January, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency, "The hard-line approach of the United States toward international issues and the rejection of collective diplomacy could pose a threat to the world."

He was addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday to mark the 72nd anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations on Oct. 24, 1945.

Trump has criticized the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama for being too lenient on Iran and failing to deny it leeway to develop its missile program and expand its regional influence, issues that all the parties to the deal agreed to exclude from the nuclear negotiations and the pact.

Officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the historic deal between Iran and major powers was concluded in July 2015 and went into force in January 2016, a year before Trump took office.

Trump announced last month that he will no longer certify Iran's compliance, despite the UN nuclear agency's reports verifying Iran's full commitment.

The US Congress is now facing a mid-December deadline to decide whether to reinstate sanctions.

Trump has threatened to "terminate" the UN-endorsed accord if congress and Washington's European allies fail to come up with a practical way for amending the action plan to accommodate his concerns over Tehran's growing power and regional clout.

  Call for Active UN Role

Araqchi urged the UN to protect the pact in the face of the US administration's deal-breaking attempts.  

"We believe it was the United Nations that provided the platform for negotiations leading to the multilateral agreement. It is expected to play a more active role. I hope that the international community will support the successful implementation of JCPOA," he said.

A UN resolution was issued days after the deal's conclusion on July 14 to endorse it and terminate all the UN sanctions resolutions against Tehran.

Trump's JCPOA position and his call for either revisiting or ending the high-profile pact has met the opposition of European allies of the United States, which have described it as a major triumph of diplomacy that averted a potential destructive war by settling one of the most controversial disputes.