Tehran
Iran on Saturday hailed a United Nations Security Council vote rejecting a United States bid to extend an arms embargo on the Islamic republic, saying its foe has “never been so isolated.” President Hassan Rouhani said that the US had failed to kill off what he called the “half alive” 2015 deal with major powers that gave Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
“The United States failed in this conspiracy with humiliation,” Rouhani told a televised news conference. “In my opinion, this day will go down in the history of our Iran and in the history of fighting global arrogance.”
Only two of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour of the US resolution seeking to extend the embargo, highlighting the division between Washington and its European allies since President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord in May 2018.
Washington’s Euro pean allies all abstained, and Iran mocked the Trump administration for only winning the support of one other country, the Dominican Republic.
“In the 75 years of United Nations history, America has never been so isolated,” said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.
“Despite all the trips, pressure and the hawking, the United States could only mobilise a small country (to vote) with them,” he tweeted.
The result increases the likelihood that the US will try to unilaterally force a return of UN sanctions, which experts say threatens to plunge the Council into one of its worst-ever diplomatic crises.
“The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defence of international peace and security is inexcusable,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The embargo on conventional arms is due to expire on October 18 under the terms of a resolution that blessed the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The US text, seen by AFP, effectively called for an indefinite extension of the embargo on Iran, which diplomats said would threaten the nuclear agreement.
Iran says it has the right to self-defence and that a continuation of the ban would mean an end to the nuclear deal.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday decried a deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalise their relations as a “huge mistake”.
“The Emirate rulers think that if they approach America and the Zionist regime (Israel), their security will improve and their economy will grow,” Rouhani said during a meeting of the taskforce to combat the coronavirus outbreak. “But this is totally wrong.”
The Iranian leader said the UAE-Israel deal was a “betrayal of the Palestinian cause”. —Agencies
