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"I should express our appreciation to the presidents of the Security Council for the months of August and September 2020, as well as to 13 of its members—especially Russia and China—who twice said a decisive and resounding “No” to the unlawful US attempt to exploit the Council and its Resolution 2231."
"This is a victory not just for Iran, but for the global community—during the transitional international order in the post-Western world—that an aspirant of hegemony is humiliated in such self-created isolation," Rouhani continued.
2.6​ ​US flips Security Council the bird on Iran
“Bully” in world neighbourhood
The US on September 18 essentially flipped the bird at the United Nations Security Council, unilaterally moving ahead with what it claimed was a legitimate reinstatement of UN sanctions on Iran despite having negligible support from other Council members.
France, Germany and the UK (E3) put out a joint statement the following day, saying any attempt by the US to impose its own sanctions on countries not complying with the UN ones it claimed to have imposed was legally void.
The mounting tension saw the Iranian rial (IRR) fall to an all-time low of 273,000 to the dollar.
The timing of Washington’s aggressive move—amid the US presidential election campaign that culminates with the vote in early November—is clearly key in understanding the reasoning behind it. US President Donald Trump is due to address the UN General Assembly by video link on September 22 and, attempting to rally voters to his side, will no doubt use the Iran controversy as another example of a so-called strong America having to take matters into its own hands.
The White House will claim, moreover, that the snapback of sanctions has validity to the point that the planned incremental lifting of a UN-backed arms embargo on Iran, set to take place from October, is null and void. That may also mean Washington asserting it has the right to interdict Iranian shipping to check for illicit transfers of weapons. Such a scenario has some analysts fearful of a naval clash in the Persian Gulf, with the more alarmed fearing some Trump officials may have an ‘October surprise’ in mind before ballot box day in the US.
Events at the Security Council prompted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to return to his now well-worn theme that the US is a “bully” and the world neighbourhood must not allow it to get its way. He warned that multiple other countries could expect to get hit with sanctions if the US was allowed to enforce its will.
“The Americans as a rule act as a bully and impose sanctions... The world community should decide how to act towards bullying,” Zarif told Iranian state TV on September 19.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on September 19 that the US had reimposed UN sanctions and expected “all UN member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures”. He said he would very soon announce additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN
9​ IRAN Country Report October 2020 www.intellinews.com