Despite the United States’ efforts to destroy Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal and the United Nations resolution that enshrined it, the international community still support the implementation of the compacts, according to Iran’s UN envoy.
“Except the US and a handful of other countries, the international community wants the JCPOA and [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231 to be implemented,” Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with IRNA.
He used the abbreviation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the nuclear deal that was signed between Iran and the world powers, which the US abandoned in 2018 and restored sanctions on Tehran.
Through its maximum pressure, Washington sought to force Iranian leaders to renegotiate a new deal. Iran has refused to engage in any bilateral talks, saying any negotiation is only possible within the framework of the JCPOA Joint Commission and once all sanctions are removed.
The US is now campaigning to convince other parties and the UN Security Council to support its hostile policies, including the extension of the UN arms embargo on Tehran, which is to expire in October as per the terms of UNSCR 2231.
“Their main purpose … is to destroy the JCPOA,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
US envoy for Iran Brian Hook and UN Ambassador Kelly Craft held a meeting with council envoys on Wednesday to justify the continuation of Iran arms ban.
“It was not the meeting that the Americans expected and council members showed with their questions that they will not support the US,” Iran’s UN envoy said.
The UN Security Council also met online on Tuesday about the UN Secretariat’s recent report on Iran’s implementation of Resolution 2231.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reported early June that weapons used in several recent attacks were “of Iranian origin” and “may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent” with JCPOA and UNSCR 2231.
Iran’s mission to the UN has rejected the report, saying it contained “serious flaws, inaccuracies and discrepancies”.
Takht-Ravanchi said the US is making groundless accusations against Iran to prove that conditions are suitable for the extension of arms embargo.
“Americans will once again hear global support for the JCPOA and this resolution in the security council meeting,” he predicted.
Political Campaign
The recent resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors also shows, according to Takht-Ravanchi, that a political campaign has been mounted to exert pressure on Iran in line with the US motion at the UN Security Council.
The three European parties to JCPOA, namely France, Britain and Germany, submitted a resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, calling on Iran to allow access to two sites that the agency suspected of nuclear activity in 2000s.
It was adopted in a vote with two oppositions from China and Russia and seven abstentions.
Iran has refused to allow IAEA inspectors into the locations, saying the request was based on inadmissible intelligence and that the case had already been closed.
“While we were cooperating with the agency, they suddenly put forward a resolution and insist on its adoption; insistence on an issue that they claim had happened 17 years ago and they even assert poses no proliferation risk,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
He said it is unacceptable to demand Iran cooperate with the agency when it is already fully cooperating as shown in multiple IAEA reports.
The diplomat also blamed the three European countries for launching this initiative against their JPCOA commitments.
“Initiators of this resolution may claim that they did this to prevent the situation from getting worse, but this is not acceptable and is rejected in our opinion,” he said.
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