Iran urges UN to hold US to account over sanctions
Iran on Monday urged the United Nations to hold US accountable for reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Iran on Monday urged the United Nations to hold the United States accountable for reimposing sanctions on Tehran, branding the measures illegal and in violation of a Security Council resolution.
Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the "irresponsible conduct of the United States necessitates a collective response to uphold the rule of law."
"The United Nations and its member-states, in accordance with the charter of the United Nations and the international law, should resist against these wrongful acts and hold the United States accountable for such acts," he added.
President Donald Trump s administration reimposed sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal after pulling out of the international agreement reached between Iran, the United States and five other powers: Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.
The sanctions hit oil exports, shipping and banking. Eight waivers to the ban on Iranian oil imports were issued to China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.
The nuclear deal was unanimously endorsed by a Security Council resolution, which means it is legally binding.
Diplomats, however, said there were no plans to raise the US sanctions at the council for the time being.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric indicated that Guterres was in no hurry to push for action. "We will take a look at the letter and respond accordingly," he said.
The Iranian ambassador said the United States "not only blatantly defies the Security Council resolution 2231" that endorsed the nuclear deal, "but also audaciously coerces other states to violate the resolution."
"Those sanctions are illegal and run counter to the well-established principles" of non-interference in internal affairs and freedom of international trade, he added.
During the annual UN gathering of world leaders in September, Trump chaired a council meeting that focused heavily on Iran, laying bare the rift between the United States and other powers on the nuclear deal.
European leaders and representatives from Russia and China defended the deal and urged Trump to allow them to continue to uphold it.
