UNSC Vote Highlights US Total Isolation

The United Nations Security Council’s rejection on Friday of the US bid to extend the arms embargo on Iran indicates Washington’s complete isolation at the global level, an Iranian diplomat said. 
“The Americans’ effort is a failed policy … that proved they are in isolation in the world as even their close allies did not support them,” Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, told IRNA. 
The US had prepared a draft resolution to extend Iran’s arms ban that is to expire in October as per the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, enshrined in Security Council Resolution 2231.   
With poor prospects of adoption by the UN Security Council, the US revised the original draft on Tuesday, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member council where veto-wielding Russia and China had voiced strong opposition.
In a Friday vote, however, the text even failed to secure enough votes from council members to force Russia and China to use their veto rights. 
Russia and China opposed extending the weapons ban, 11 members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while the US and the Dominican Republic cast the only yes votes, according to Reuters. 
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi described the US measure as “a reckless and futile attempt to undermine the UNSC credibility”, which was rejected by the international community once again and with a clear voice. 
“The #American_regime should take a lesson from its total failures & stop shaming itself at UN, otherwise it will get isolated, even more than now,” he tweeted. 
Takht-Ravanchi thanked Moscow and Beijing for their opposition, saying their votes showed the depth of friendly relations between Iran and the two nations. 
China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said in a statement after the vote that the result “once again shows that unilateralism receives no support and bullying will fail”.
“The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defense of international peace and security is inexcusable,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted in a statement.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said in a statement that Washington will follow through on that “promise to stop at nothing to extend the arms embargo” in the coming days. 

Alone in Snapback Bid

She was referring to a US threat to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran using a provision in the nuclear deal, known as “snapback”, even though Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 and restored tough sanctions on Tehran. 
Diplomats have said the United States could do this as early as next week, but would face a tough, messy battle.
Takht-Ravanchi said the UN Security Council’s Friday vote was also an indication that the US is alone even in using this mechanism. 
“Today’s vote … showed how little the international community is likely to welcome the US abuse of UNSCR 2231, under which it intends to use the snapback mechanism,” he added. 
He added that the US attempt has neither any legal ground, nor any political support as shown by the Friday vote.
“US must learn from this debacle. Its attempt to ‘snapback’ sanctions is illegal, and was rejected by int'l community, as was evident today,” he tweeted. 
The US argues that it remains a participant under UNSCR 2231 despite having exited the nuclear deal. 
The Iranian diplomat said the two documents are inseparable, therefore, by quitting JCPOA, the US has ceased participation in the UN resolution as well. He also warned the US against trying to return sanctions.
“Imposition of any sanctions or restrictions on Iran by the Security Council will be met severely by Iran and our options are not limited. And the United States and any entity that may assist it or acquiesce in its illegal behavior will bear the full responsibility,” he said. 
Takht-Ravanchi said the US insisted on putting its draft resolution to the vote although it was already aware of the lack of UNSC support. 
“Because America, based on its incorrect calculations, seeks to use this measure as an excuse to achieve its ultimate goal of forever ruining the JCPOA through the snapback mechanism, whereas it is not entitled to use the snapback as a JCPOA non-member state,” he said. 
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday proposed a video summit with the US and the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, namely Britain, France, China, Germany and Iran, to try to avoid further “confrontation and escalation” at the UN over Iran.
“The issue is urgent,” Putin said in a statement, stressing that the alternative was “only further escalation of tensions, increasing risk of conflict—such a scenario must be avoided.”