US Left High and Dry in Int’l Efforts to Isolate Iran

The Persian-language Basirat website has, in an article, weighed in on the Trump administration’s failure to rally the UNSC’s support against Iran. The full text of the analytical piece follows:

Street protests in Iran turned into a pretext for further interference by the US, Saudi Arabia and the Israeli regime. Accordingly, Riyadh focused its attention on cyberspace. Tel Aviv, too, used its acerbic wit to introduce itself as a friend of Iranian people. This comes as most of the terrorist attacks conducted against Iranians were masterminded by Mossad and the CIA.

Amid the recent unrest, US President Donald Trump sought to use Twitter to play a role in the scenario. He posted eight tweets through which he tried to pose as an advocate of Iranian people and somehow give protesters hope of victory. This came as Trump had recently barred Iranians from entering the US, accusing them of being terrorists. Washington did not stop at posting tweets and holding sessions about Iran at the House of Representatives. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the recent unrest in Iran. The request had nothing to do with the council’s agenda and job description, and Washington managed to get the meeting held only thanks to votes by the council’s non-permanent members.

 

Details of UNSC Meeting

Although the US managed to hold the UNSC meeting on Iran despite all opposition, the session only proved to be a failure for Washington. The meeting held last Saturday saw most UNSC members vote against the US and it ended inconclusively. The participants underlined that Iran’s internal issues were not related to regional or international security. Most members said the recent developments in Iran were a domestic issue. They said the recent developments in Iran were outside the UNSC’s jurisdiction. Only Britain and Peru supported the US plan. In the meeting, Haley rehashed her allegations and accusations against Iran, but failed to get the majority of the UNSC members on board. In the meeting, France’s ambassador said the recent events in Iran were a cause for concern. Nevertheless, the envoy said the developments, in and of themselves, posed no threat to international peace and security. Kuwait’s ambassador also urged the international community to learn a lesson from the catastrophic consequences of the so-called Arab Spring and Syria developments when turning to Iran issues. Sweden’s ambassador said talks with Iran are of utmost significance, saying a line has to be drawn between Iran’s rights issue and the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Netherlands, which has always been regarded as an anti-Iran country and a safe haven for the MKO terrorist group, opposed the US plan as well. The Dutch ambassador underlined that the situation in Iran has calmed down. China’s ambassador, too, called for respect for countries’ territorial integrity and right of sovereignty, saying the UNSC should not meddle in other countries’ domestic affairs. Nonetheless, the most vocal objection to Washington’s claims on Iran came from Russia’s envoy Vassily Nebenzia. He noted it is lost on no one that the issue put on the council’s agenda now is outside its responsibilities, adding the US must not undermine the UNSC. Addressing the US ambassador, Nebenzia said Washington had better spend the UNSC’s energy on issues of Afghanistan, Syria and Libya rather than on countries’ domestic affairs.

 

Trump Left High and Dry

Over the past month, the Trump administration has tried twice to take advantage of the UN Security Council by arousing media ballyhoo and using its power at the United Nations. First, he sought to get UNSC members on board with relocating the US embassy to East Jerusalem, and second, he kicked up a fuss against Iran again by voicing support for the recent unrest in the country. However, both attempts failed.

The reality is that some of the countries which did not agree with Trump at the UNSC meeting are mostly seeking to impede his unilateral approach on the international stage. During his first year of presidency, Trump has withdrawn from several internationally-recognized agreements and, against the will of most countries, declared al-Quds as the capital of the Israeli regime. At this juncture, the Europeans are trying to diminish the United States’ global power by cashing in on the country’s weakness during Trump’s presidency. This trend has practically started as Trump is pushing the US toward isolation.

The issue of riots and unrest in Iran, regardless of their quality, is a domestic affair and poses no threat to regional and international peace and security, whatsoever. And that is why the UNSC refused to give the thumbs up to Trump’s plan on Iran and did not regard Iran protests as a threat to global peace. This comes as the US has never taken a swipe at Saudi Arabia, which has a record of gross violations of human rights and arrests of Saudi princes. Washington has even praised Mohammad bin Salman’s putting his opponents and rivals behind bars. This all shows that Trump is not concerned about Iranian people, but seeks more pretexts to ratchet up sanctions on Iranians.