WASHINGTON – The US has failed to get the UN Security Council (UNSC) to acton the Iranian protests with most members questioning if it was even theright forum to take up internal affairs of a country while expressingsupport for the nuclear deal with Tehran that is opposed by PresidentDonald Trump.
At the session convened on Friday at the request of Washington, USPermanent Representative Nikki Haley pledged solidarity with the Iranianprotesters and condemned the Tehran government for suppressing them.
Ahead of the meeting it was clear that the Council would not be able toeven come up with a resolution or a statement on the Iranian protestsbecause of opposition from veto-wielding permanent member Russia and others.
The demonstrations against economic hardships began on December 28 inMashad and spread to other places. Citing official media reports, AssistantSecretary-General Taye-Brook Zerihoun said that more than 20 Iranians diedduring the protests, while over 1,000 protesters were detained.
Council President Kairat Umarov, speaking in his national capacity asKazakhstan’s Permanent Representative, said that the developments in Iranwere a domestic matter and, therefore, did not come under the Council’spurview.
The view was shared by most members, including France and Sweden.
There was concern over the nuclear deal made in 2015 by Iran with the fivepermanent members, Germany and the European Union that lifted sanctionsagainst Tehran. It has been opposed by Trump who has to certify this monthto the US Congress that Iran is complying with it in order for Washingtonto continue with the terms of the agreement.
“We must be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends,”France’s Permanent Representative Francois Delattre said, adding that theCouncil must commit to upholding the nuclear agreement.
British Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcoft gave his country’s backingto the agreement saying that Iran complied with it.
Calling the agreement “one of the international community’s greatestsuccesses in recent memory”, he said Britain was fully committed to it.
Haley said “the people of Iran are rising up” and “if the foundingprinciples of this institution mean anything, we will not only hear theircry, we will finally answer it”.
The statement drew vehement retorts from Russia and Iran, which drewattention to protests within the US that had been put down.
Russia’s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said that if the Councilfollowed the reasoning behind convening the the meeting over domesticprotests in Iran, it should have met after the protests in the US thatfollowed the killing of an African-American teenager in Ferguson by a whitepolice officer in 2014.
Iran’s Permanent Representative Gholamali Khoshroo brought up the OccupyWall Street movement in New York in 2011 that was suppressed by lawenforcement and other protests.
He said that Trump was joining the Islamic State and its regional patronsto incite attacks on Iran.