IRAN RIDICULES TRUMP’S U.N. ‘BLUNDER’
Security Council rebuffed naked attempt by US to hijack mandate, tweets minister
NEW YORK
IRANIAN Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ridiculed United States President Donald Trump yesterday over what he called the foreign policy “blunder” of trying to raise its recent protests at the United Nations Security Council.
The Security Council “rebuffed the US’ naked attempt to hijack its mandate”, wrote Zarif on Twitter.
“The majority emphasised the need to fully implement the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration.”
The US had pushed for the UN meeting on Friday to discuss the five days of protests in Iran last week, leading to the deaths of 21 people and hundreds of arrests.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley argued the unrest could escalate into full-blown conflict and drew a comparison with Syria.
“The Iranian regime is now on notice: The world will be watching what you do,” Haley warned.
But Russia’s envoy shot back that if the US view held, the council should have also discussed the 2014 unrest in the US suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, over the police shooting of a black teenager, or the crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Britain and France reiterated that Iran must respect the rights of protesters. China described the meeting as meddling in Iran’s affairs, while Ethiopia, Kuwait and Sweden expressed reservations about the discussion.
Iranian authorities had declared the unrest over, and held three days of large pro-government rallies across the country between Wednesday and Friday.
Iran signed a deal with the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in 2015, easing sanctions in exchange for curbs to the country’s nuclear programme.
Trump must decide every few months whether to continue waiving sanctions, with the next deadline due on Friday. Analysts say he might use the unrest to reimpose sanctions. AFP