The Russian permanent mission to the UN called US statements about anti-Iranian sanctions illegitimate

21 September 2020

Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia on Sunday sent a letter to the organization's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Niger's permanent representative Abdu Abarri, who chairs the Security Council in September, criticizing the US statements about the restoration of Security Council sanctions against Iran. The document was published on Twitter by Dmitry Polyansky, the first Deputy Russian permanent representative.

 


"I have the honor to confirm our opinion about the statements of the American side, which claims to have launched the mechanism for restoring [anti-Iranian sanctions] provided for <...> by UN Security Council resolution 2231 <...> Such statements are illegitimate, since the US deliberately and officially withdrew from the JCPOA (The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - ed. TASS) in 2018 and <...>, as a result, constantly violated UN Security Council resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, thus losing any right to use the tools established...resolution, " the document says.

 

On August 20, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo sent a notification to the UN Security Council about the US intention to begin restoring the organization's sanctions against Iran. Pompeo later said that the restrictive measures would take effect on September 20, despite the disagreement of other members of the Security Council. On Saturday, he added that the United States would announce new measures in the coming days against Iran and countries that violate the renewed sanctions, according to the United States.


Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the actions of the American side a theatrical production aimed at turning the UN Security Council into its own instrument of maximum pressure on Iran. As noted in the statement of the Russian Department, illegitimate initiatives and actions of the United States, by definition, cannot have international legal consequences for other countries, and the Americans, realizing this, threaten restrictions to all dissenting States. UN Security Council resolution 2231 remains unchanged, and the obligations arising from it must be fulfilled in the initially agreed mode and scope on the basis of the principle of reciprocity by all states, the Ministry stressed, noting that efforts to ensure the implementation of the JCPOA will continue.

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: Zuma\TASS

Based on materials TASS