Iran accuses US and allies of abusing UN Security Council mechanisms

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Gholamhossein Darzi, accused the United States and its allies of repeatedly abusing the UN Security Council's mechanisms to advance their own political agendas against other countries. He made these remarks during a Thursday meeting of the UN General Assembly, which was convened to discuss Russia's and China's veto of a Washington-backed draft resolution at the Security Council concerning Iran two weeks earlier.

On September 17, the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have renewed the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions re-imposed on Iran through the so-called snapback mechanism in 2025. The resolution received 11 votes in favor, two against (China and Russia), and two abstentions. Darzi denounced what he called the United States' "politically motivated, legally unfounded and cynical attempt" to revive the Panel of Experts. He described the vetoes by China and Russia as "principled and necessary acts defending the UN Charter, international law and the integrity and authority of the Security Council against its abuse." He urged the Security Council to uphold the UN Charter and international law and to reject any politicization or manipulation of its mechanisms, stating that the US and its allies have repeatedly abused the Council's procedures and authority to advance narrow political agendas.

Furthermore, the Iranian envoy attributed the current situation regarding Iran's nuclear issue to the unilateral US withdrawal from the 2025 nuclear deal, the European trio's non-compliance with their commitments, and the subsequent US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic. "While Iran pursued diplomacy in good faith, the United States chose aggression," he said. Additionally, Darzi rejected the claim of military diversion of Iran's nuclear activities as a "false narrative and a big lie first concocted by the Israeli regime in 2003 and repeatedly parroted by the United States and certain European countries ever since." He emphasized that Iran has been a responsible party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970 and has been subject to extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for nearly 25 years, unlike the nuclear-armed Israeli regime. "Yet Iran faces political pressure, while Israel continues to receive extensive support," he continued.

Darzi stressed that the United States has no legal, political, or moral standing to lecture or accuse Iran or to concern itself with non-proliferation while it is itself violating its principles. According to Mehr News, the Iranian envoy made these remarks in response to the vetoed resolution and the broader debate over Iran's nuclear program and international sanctions.