Beijing Warns Pompeo Iran Move Threatens Authority of UN Security Council

Aug. 22, 2020 (EIRNS)—Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned, yesterday, that the U.S. move to re-impose UN sanctions on Iran threatens the authority of the UN Security Council itself. “The U.S. demand of re-imposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran is nothing but a self-serving political manipulation,” he said during the ministry’s daily press briefing. “The U.S. has walked away from commitments, withdrawn from international organizations and treaties, harmed multilateralism and the authority of the Security Council and undermined international non-proliferation regime.” The defeat of the draft U.S. resolution on the arms embargo on Aug. 14 “fully demonstrates that the U.S. unilateral position runs counter to the wide consensus of the international community and its attempt to sabotage the JCPOA will never succeed,” Zhao continued. “We urge the U.S. to stop going down the wrong path, otherwise it will only meet further opposition.”

“It takes equal-footed dialogue and candid consultations rather than sanctions, pressuring or even military threat, to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue,” Zhao concluded. “To uphold the JCPOA and the authority of the UNSCR, maintain the international non-proliferation regime and safeguard regional peace and stability, China stands ready to work with other parties to find a proper solution and move forward the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.”