New York
Recent years in the Gulf have been characterized by rising tensions, “heated rhetoric and the heightened risk of miscalculations (that have) rendered efforts to address other regional conflicts more difficult,” according to a top UN official.
During a briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Rosemary DiCarlo, the under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, also called on the Iranian regime to refrain from further attempts to avoid its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, it includes an agreement by Tehran to limit its nuclear research in exchange for sanctions relief.
It was signed by the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US), plus Germany and the EU
DiCarlo was updating the Security Council on developments relating to Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal and set out a process for monitoring its implementation.
She called on all parties to the deal to avoid any activities that might further escalate existing hostilities, and instead attempt to resolve their differences through the dispute-resolution mechanism contained within the JCPOA.
While she reiterated the support of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for initiatives designed to facilitate trade and economic relations with Iran, especially during the pandemic, DiCarlo also called on Iran to address “concerns raised about its (arms-transfer) activities.”
Resolution 2231 included a ban on the transfer of arms to or from Iran, which expired on Oct. 18 this year.—AN
