Iran Praises Pakistan at UN Security Council Meeting on Nuclear Issue

New York: Iran has thanked Pakistan for abstaining from voting in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on its nuclear program, saying that the meeting lacked a legal basis and there was no justification for convening it.

Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Ervani, in a statement issued after the meeting, specifically thanked Pakistan and Somalia for not supporting the meeting. He also praised Russia and China for opposing the meeting.

The meeting was convened at the request of Bahrain and the five European members of the Security Council, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom. The meeting reviewed the status of implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231 and the Iran nuclear deal.

The Iranian delegate took the position that Resolution 2231 had expired on October 18 last year, so now neither the Secretary-General’s report can be presented under this resolution, nor is there any legal basis for discussing it in the Security Council.

Amir Saeed Iravani also rejected the European countries’ attempt to use the ‘snapback’ mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Iran, saying that France, Germany and the UK themselves failed to fulfill their obligations under the nuclear deal, so they cannot exercise the rights arising from the deal.

He also denounced the United States and Israel alleging that their military actions against Iran breached international law and urging that they be held accountable for their actions.

According to the Iranian delegate, Iran’s nuclear activities are entirely peaceful d are carried out under the constant monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). As per his statement, the country’s nuclear program has never been redirected toward military objectives.

He accused Western countries of using the Security Council for political purposes and trying to distort the facts by misinterpreting Resolution 2231.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Amir Saeed Iravani said that under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the responsibility for restoring maritime traffic and clearing mines in this important maritime passage lies solely with Iran. He warned that any external interference could not only affect the implementation of the agreement but also further increase tensions in the region.