Statement of H.E. Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran

(Delivered, on his behalf, by H.E. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations)

On “Upholding the United Nations Charter to Maintain International Peace and Security”

Before the United Nations Security Council

New York, 9 January 2020

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In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Mr. President,

Let me thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate.

At the outset, we express our deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the airplane crash in Iran. A thorough investigation into the incident is under way.

I am here today to deliver a statement on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Javad Zarif, whose visa was denied by the United States in contravention of the Headquarters Agreement. His statement is as follows.

“We are meeting today to discuss a momentous imperative with which we are all confronted. The world is at a crossroads. With the end of monopolies on power, one unhinged regime is frantically clamouring to turn back time. That has meant more damaging American unilateralism in defiance of international norms and law, including most recently a dastardly targeted assassination of the heroes who were the nightmare of such groups as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham. But since the regime’s inauguration, there have been more and more threats and attacks against the people of Iran and other sovereign nations in utter disregard of the Charter of the United Nations. It now even seeks to emulate the war crimes of Da’esh, menacing the cultural heritage of the millenniums-old civilization of Iran.

“Our action on 8 January against an air base in Iraq from which the cowardly armed attack against the martyr Soleimani was launched was a measured and proportionate response to a terrorist attack in the exercise of our inherent right to self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter. The rogue United States regime has withdrawn from several landmark accords, including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and, not least, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That - in an open affront to the Security Council - has involved the unprecedented and unlawful punishment by the United States of anyone who attempts to comply with resolution 2231 (2015), which unequivocally endorses the JCPOA.

“It has also adopted mob tactics to expand or gain market share in the face of the increasing diversification of the sources of power. In the case of my own country, United States economic terrorism has involved the strangulation of access by ordinary Iranians to food and medicine, as well as the use of illegal unilateral sanctions to give American oil a foothold in Asia. No one is spared from that malign behaviour, as evidenced by how the United States approaches global trade, including its targeting of European infrastructure to force the entry of its own natural gas.

“The question raised by such rogue behaviour is how to protect the United Nations Charter. For if other States become passive unilateralists, succumb to unilateralism in their bilateral relationships or compromise Charter principles for the sake of short-term gains or the avoidance of immediate harm, they will inadvertently encourage the lawless unilateralist to bully them.

“In order to protect multilateralism, we must never appease unilateralist regimes. We need political will, as well as an instrument that will safeguard the values, principles and multilateralism enshrined in the Charter. Such an instrument should include a renewed commitment to the Charter, particularly non-intervention in the internal and external affairs of other countries and the prohibition of the threat or use of force;

the rejection of all coercive unilateral measures, including sanctions, as unlawful, entailing international responsibility, including financial responsibility to compensate for damages imposed on the target and third countries;

assigning international criminal responsibility for obstructing humanitarian trade in any way, shape or form; and the prohibition of depriving individuals of their freedoms and their extradition upon judicial requests made on the basis of, or related to, unilateral coercive measures, including sanctions.

“Iran is dedicated to multilateralism and committed to the Charter and its principles. Our commitment to the JCPOA, as well as our most recent inclusive initiative to promote peace and security in the Persian Gulf region — the Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE) — demonstrate our strategic approach. With the engagement of other littoral States of the Persian Gulf, the objectives of HOPE can be realized. In that endeavour, we welcome the assistance of the United Nations, including by acting as an umbrella.”

Thank you for your time.