Dueling Security Council Remarks by Iran and US

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Distinguished Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif and his thuggish US counterpart Pompeo are world's apart in worldviews, morals, ethics, integrity, and respect for the rule of law.

Zarif is a model of what a foreign minister is supposed to be.

A career diplomat, he's an international relations expert, earning a doctorate in the field.

Earlier Iran's UN envoy, he's been foreign minister since 2013. He speaks perfect English and tweets in the language @JZarif.

Pompeo was trained by the US military to be a militarist and aggressor — precisely how he operates in his current role, masquerading as diplomatic that he never was and surely isn't now.

On Tuesday, Zarif's address to the Security Council was supremely thoughtful, diplomatic and truthful in support of SC Res. 2231, adopting the JCPOA unanimously, and other international law.

In its dealings with other nations, Iran scrupulously observes its international obligations, including the rule of law — seeking cooperative relations with other nations worldwide, hostility toward none, except in self-defense if attacked, its legitimate UN Charter right.

Washington's agenda is polar opposite, seeking dominance over other nations worldwide, wars by hot and other means its favored strategies.

Time and again, it flagrantly violating the UN Charter, other international law, the US Constitution, and its own statute law, what defines rogue state rule.

Zarif began his remarks by quoting former Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, toppled by the CIA in 1953, the agency's first coup — followed by decades of countless other lawless actions.

Addressing the SC 59 years ago, Mosaddegh said the body "was established so that large and small nations alike might sit around the same table and cooperate for the maintenance of peace in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations."

Straightaway to now, the US used and continues using the SC to pressure, bully, bribe, and threaten other nations to bend to its will.

Veto power by the body's five permanent members is able to prevent some of its hostile intentions — not its endless wars by hot and other means on countless nonbelligerent nations threatening no one.

For the SC to work as intended, it requires its major powers to respect and observe the rule of law — never by the US when conflicting with its imperial interests.

Adopted in 2015, the landmark JCPOA that took years of negotiations became effective in January 2016.

In deference to the Netanyahu regime and hardliners infesting his own, Trump breached the agreement and international law by abandoning it — "directly undermin(ing) global peace and security," Zarif stressed, adding:

"(C)omplacency (and European complicity) enabled and encouraged this recklessness."

Trump regime hostility to peace, stability, and cooperative relations with other countries lies behind its all-out effort to destroy the landmark agreement, pressuring and bullying other nations to go along.

Zarif: "(N)ot a single Council session has been convened to" censure and/or otherwise act to undo the damage he and hardliners surrounding him caused.

His regime and Western accomplices have gone all out to "intimidat(e) international institutions," forcing their will on other countries.

"The international community in general—and the UN Security Council in particular—are facing an important decision," Zarif stressed. 

"Do we maintain respect for the rule of law, or do we return to the law of the jungle by surrendering to the whims of an outlaw bully" and its Western accomplices in high crimes of war, against humanity, and contempt for the rule of law?

Since adopted and implemented, over five years ago, Iran fulfilled all its (JCPOA) commitments in good faith, verified by numerous IAEA reports."

The Obama regime breached it straightaway, what turned out to be prelude for his successor to go all out for its destruction.

Zarif stressed "multiple cases of 'significant (US) nonperformance' of its JCPOA obligations" — one of countless examples why its ruling regimes can never be trusted.

Time and again, it pledges one thing, then does something entirely different, breaching the rule of law it long ago abandoned when conflicting with its imperial aims to dominate other nations.

Throughout the post-WW II period, mutual cooperation with other nations was always a non-starter for its ruling authorities, with rare exceptions proving the rule.

The JCPOA is doomed as long as the world community fails to demand US compliance, taking action against its breach of trust and the law.

After over two years after the Trump regime abandoned the agreement, Iran remains in full compliance with its provisions.

It exercised its lawful Dispute Resolution Mechanism rights under Article 36 that states that if actions by JCPOA signatories "constitute significant non- performance, then (Iran) could treat the unresolved issue as grounds to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part and/or notify the UN Security Council that it believes the issue constitutes significant non-performance."

Article 26 states that if the US imposes new nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, it will constitute "grounds (for its authorities) to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part" — its legal right under the deal.

Because the JCPOA is binding international law, all world community nations are bound to observe it. 

Breaching it constitutes a criminal act. The US and its Western signatory partners stand guilty as charged — Iran, Russia and China complying with their obligations.

Iran's "strategic patience" over many months was rebuffed by E3 countries Britain, France and Germany, together with Brussels, breaching their obligations by complying with unlawful Trump regime "maximum pressure." 

It constitutes "maximum" imperial arrogance by waging war on Iran by other means, aimed at imposing "maximum" harm on its 84 million people.

Iran's legitimate nuclear program with no military component is subject to unprecedented scrutiny by the IAEA — devoting "92 percent of (its) inspections" on Iranian facilities, Zarif explained.

In contrast, nuclear outlaws USA and Israel permit no inspections of their bomb-development and production facilities, the nuclear watchdog IAEA failing to demand them.

Zarif's entire remarks were scrupulously accurate, explaining Iran's compliance with its obligations — despite the US and E3 nations flagrantly breaching theirs.

For the past 40 years, the US under Republicans and Dems have gone all out to return Iran to client state status — wanting control over the state, his vast hydrocarbon resources, and population.

The Islamic Republic remains sovereign and independent, unwilling to subordinate its fundamental rights to US interests — nor should any nation to a foreign power for any reason.

Zarif stressed that "(i)t's long overdue for the international community, and in particular this Council, to hold US government accountable for the consequences of its wrongful acts—including its malicious endeavors to wage economic terrorism on the entire Iranian nation, willfully deprive them of food and medicine, and irreparably harm their economy and their standard of living." 

He called for the US to "fully compensate the Iranian people for all damages it has inflicted upon them—appallingly, for no reason other than to satisfy domestic constituencies and personal aggrandizement." 

I stand with Zarif, the Iranian people, and others everywhere against the destructive predations of my own nation.

The US represents an unparalleled threat to humanity's survival if it's not challenged, stopped, and held accountable for its hegemonic rage.

In contrast to Zarif's integrity and scrupulous truth-telling, Pompeo defended the indefensible and turned truth on its head as in all his public remarks.

His thuggishness on display, he's a figure hostile to peace and the rule of law with 2024 presidential aspirations, a notion that should terrify everyone — elevating the threat of nuclear war with him in the nation's highest office if he gets that far.

He militantly hostile toward all nations not controlled by the US, especially China, Russia and Iran.

His Security Council remarks included his usual litany of bald-faced big lies — Tuesday about Iran and the JCPOA, falsely calling it "flawed."

No agreements are perfect. The Iran nuclear deal was the best possible that took years to achieve unanimous Security Council approval — moments for Trump regime abandonment, one of countless examples of US imperial arrogance.

Pompeo's beginning-to-end remarks turned truth on its head — what he and other US hardliners are infamous for.

If Trump regime actions kill the landmark agreement, Middle East instability will greatly increase.

So will the threat of US instigated aggression against Iran.

What's madness is possible because of US rage to dominate other nations — whether Republicans or Dems run things.

That's what the scourge of imperialism is all about.

US rage to control planet earth may destroy it instead.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

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