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‘Political extortion’: Araghchi at NAM raps revival of anti-Iran resolutions
Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in an address to a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Uganda’s capital Kampala on Wednesday.
“Just last month, the United States and the European permanent members of the Security Council tried to misuse the UN Security Council to reinstate terminated UN Security Council resolutions against Iran – a clear breach of the provisions laid out in Resolution 2231,” Araghchi said.
The Resolution 2231, which endorses the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, expires on October 18.
The 15-member Security Council on September 19 failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the three European parties to the nuclear deal triggered the "snapback" mechanism of the landmark agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Subsequently, the UN reinstated the sanctions on September 28. Britain, France and Germany initiated the return of sanctions over accusations Iran had violated the JCPOA. The Islamic Republic has denounced the European measures as “unlawful, unjustified and provocative.”
Pointing to the date when the resolution expires, the Iranian top diplomat said that “the revival of these terminated measures is completely groundless and illegitimate, amounting to nothing more than a means of political extortion.”
The Iranian foreign minister called on the NAM member states to refuse to go along with such “invalid and illegal maneuvers, which are purely aimed at gaining political leverage by flouting international law and norms.”