Iran reiterated its resolve to retaliate against the US attacks on its three nuclear sites early morning Sunday and demanded that the UN Security Council act and condemn the US violations of the UN charter and various other international laws.
“Based on international law, Iran retains its complete and lawful right to respond to this blatant act of aggression,” Iranian ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani told the world community while speaking during an emergency session of the Security Council called to discuss the US aggressions.
However, the acting representative to the UN for the US, Dorothy Shea, defended the US attacks on Iran as part of its mutual security arrangements with Israel and threatened Iran with more aggression should they retaliate.
The US carried out air strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow on the early morning of Sunday in its attempts to aid the ongoing Israeli war to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program.
More than 400 Iranians have been killed and hundreds of others have been wounded since Israel launched unprovoked attacks in various Iranian cities and nuclear sites on June 13.
Repeated Israeli attacks had failed to make any significant damage to Iranian nuclear sites. It is also not clear yet whether the US strikes were able to achieve their stated goals, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however, has confirmed “very significant damage” at Iranian nuclear sites post US strikes.
Iran has claimed that despite the attacks its nuclear program is intact and it will continue to carry out enrichment in future.
Misuse of NPT by the US
Iran accused the US and Israel of destroying diplomacy and using the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a “political weapon” against it.
Iravani claimed that “instead of guaranteeing parties’ legitimate rights to peaceful nuclear energy, it has been exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action that jeopardize the supreme interests of my country.”
Iravani also accused the UN Security Council and the IAEA of double standards and selective behavior and noted how when it comes to the US and Israel these agencies fail to abide by their basic duty.
Iran has accused and filed a formal complaint against the IAEA head Rafael Grossi for failing to condemn Israeli aggressions against its nuclear sites. It has also accused him of collaborating with the US and Israel to legitimize the attacks by preparing a false report about the Iranian nuclear program.
Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday that the Iranian parliament is considering a bill to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA, with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the parliament, accusing IAEA of becoming “a political instrument” against Iran.
Iravani said that if the Security Council fails to act and condemn the latest US aggressions on its nuclear sites “the stain of complicity will forever remain on its conscience, as it does with Gaza.”
Resolution demanding ceasefire
China, Russia, and Pakistan presented a draft resolution on Sunday condemning the attacks on Iran and calling for an immediate unconditional ceasefire.
Calling for the need of diplomacy, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the region cannot endure yet another conflict and “a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.”
IAEA Chief Grossi claimed the US strikes have caused “sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security” in the world. He warned that if diplomacy does not resume soon he fears the collapse of the global non-proliferation regime.
Vasily A. Nebenzya, Russian ambassador to the UN, called US aggression against Iran illegal and a violation of international law and the UN charter. He asserted that the US has failed to learn anything from history, reminding of how it caused suffering for millions in the Middle East by accusing Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction in 2003.
Nebenzya questioned US President Donald Trump’s claims about Iran’s nuclear program, calling it yet another “fairy tale” and pointing out that unlike Israel which has not yet signed the NPT and has no IAEA inspections of its nuclear program, Iran is the most IAEA-inspected country in the world.
“China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and the bombing of its nuclear facilities under the safeguards” of IAEA, said Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN. He also underlined that apart from violating international laws the attacks have seriously undermined the NPT.
Cong asked Israel to immediately ceasefire to avoid larger regional escalation, claiming peace in the region cannot be achieved through war.
It is not clear when the voting on the said resolution will take place. The resolution will not be accepted if the US, or any of its European allies – France and the UK – vote against it.
