Five other members of UNSC declare US anti-Iranian demand illegal

The joint letter from the member states, which are currently non-permanent members of the Security Council, and Niger is scheduled to chair the council in September said that the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 makes it very clear that invocation of the provisions of paragraph 11 of this resolution must be made by those who are participants to the JCPOA.

South Africa, Tunisia, Niger, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines said in the joint letter that the US unilaterally withdrew from the UN Security Council on May 7, 2016, and reinstated unilateral sanctions against Iran, which is contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

The US has terminated its partnership by withdrawal from the JCPOA and is not a participant to any of its structures or subsequent activities, and is therefore not eligible under UNSCR 2231 to submit a declaration to the Security Council.

They described JCPOA as one of the most important diplomatic achievements in the field of non-proliferation since the time the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed.

The representatives of South Africa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Niger and Tunisia stressed that it is therefore very important that all parties fully implement the JCPOA in order to re-establish trust in the agreement and avoid any action that may undermine UNSC Resolution 2231.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Thursday that the United States has the legal right to “snap back” UN sanctions even though President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers that was endorsed by the UN Security Council.

Russia and China, along with European allies Britain, France and Germany, who often disagree, are united in declaring the US action “illegal” on grounds that you can’t withdraw from a deal and then use the resolution that endorsed it to lift sanctions.

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