The United Nations Security Council on Friday held an emergency meeting on the recent protests in Iran at the request of the United States.
Referring to the largely-divided session, Zarif said in his Twitter account, “The UNSC rebuffed the US’ naked attempt to hijack its mandate.”
“Majority emphasized the need to fully implement the JCPOA and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others,” he added.
Zarif also called it “another foreign policy blunder for the Trump administration.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s envoy to the UN also stressed that such sessions “discredit” the UN Security Council and demonstrates how Washington “abuses” its powers as a permanent member to forward its own agenda.
Last week, groups of peaceful protesters staged unauthorized gatherings in several areas across the country, calling on the authorities to address their economic issues. Despite having no mandate, the protests were allowed to go on uninterrupted for several days.
However, some of events turned violent after armed elements and vandals took the opportunity to destroy public property and attack police stations, killing and injuring dozens of people in the process.
While many countries such as Russia, Turkey and Syria condemned the violence, US President Donald Trump hyped up the unrest in a series of tweets, pledging continued support for the rioters, as reported by Press TV.
Russia, China Echo Iran, Call on Council to Refocus
Also speaking at the meeting was Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, who accused Washington of trying to bend the UNSC mandate by supporting the unrest in Iran.
“We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what’s taking place,” he said.
The Russian envoy then pointed to Washington’s handling of protests over widespread police killings of unarmed African Americans and crackdown on other social justice movements.
“If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan.”
“You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), [and] the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state,” Nebenzia added.
China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao also took a similar line, saying the protests were a “domestic issue” of Iran and discussing them at the council “does not help resolve” them.
