Iran raps US for blocking its bid to host maritime event
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the US move to prevent Iran from hosting an international maritime event in October, saying that Washington once again revealed its arrogant and colonial nature. Iran had proposed to host a shipping event in Tehran in late October this year, in conjunction with an annual maritime day hosted by the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), which was accepted in 2015 by the IMO’s Executive Council.
However, Iran’s offer to host the event was rejected after a proposal led by the US to rescind the bid was approved in a vote at the UN shipping agency’s council on Thursday.
Kanaani said that the US move showed that Washington recognizes no limits in politically abusing the United Nations’ technical and specialized agencies. The Iranian official denounced the US for ignoring the majority vote of the IMO member states.
The US, in a working paper seen by Reuters and submitted to the IMO’s Council, which is meeting this week, proposed rescinding the decision.
It alleged in the paper, which was co-sponsored by Britain, that “Iran has seized, or attempted to seize, commercial vessels with no pretext, warning or prior justification.”