International law must not be turned into a tool for Washington following the return of UN sanctions on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a letter to his counterparts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“We must defend international law. This issue is not only about Iran but about the dignity of international law,” Araghchi wrote.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that international law was at risk of being undermined by the United States, he wrote in letters to his counterparts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Iran’s ambassador in Colombo said on Friday.
Ambassador Alireza Delkhosh quoted Araghchi as saying, “We must support international law. This is not only about Iran, it is about the dignity of international law.” He said the minister warned, “Today Iran is the target, tomorrow it may be South Asian countries and the day after African states.”
Delkhosh said the message urged governments to resist pressure from Western powers. “International law has become a plaything for the United States. This decision, taken with Western countries, is very dangerous for international law,” he said.
Araghchi told the two South Asian countries that the latest sanctions showed the fragility of global rules. “This moment is a critical test for the credibility of international law,” the minister wrote, according to the envoy.
The letters came after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran last month through the snapback mechanism. Britain, France and Germany triggered the process, saying Tehran had failed to meet commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The European Union on Monday reinstated sweeping sanctions on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs, restoring bans on oil exports, banking, transport and energy trade that had been lifted under the nuclear deal. The EU said Iran had breached its obligations and noted that its enriched uranium stockpile was far above agreed limits.
US tightens pressure
The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on 38 individuals and companies from Iran and China accused of supplying Iran’s military procurement network. The Treasury Department said the network provided missile technology and helicopter parts to Iran’s defense ministry. It said the move was part of efforts to enforce renewed UN sanctions and deny Tehran access to advanced technologies.
Iran has rejected the return of UN sanctions as illegal and without effect. The foreign ministry said any attempt to revive resolutions that ended in 2015 was “null and void” and created no obligation for member states.
The government, parliament and the people will withstand the snapback sanctions through unity, Iran's parliament deputy speaker Ali Nikzad said Friday.
“The snapback lacks legal logic and enemies have always acted by force,” Nikzad added.
“The enemy tried to apply pressure with the snapback, but people, government and parliament will pass this ridge with unity and solidarity.”
Repeated sanctions have not crippled Iran’s economy despite Western attempts to halt its foreign trade, former acting head of the Trade Promotion Organization Mohammadreza Modoudi said Friday.
“Snapback sanctions have no effect on Iran’s economy,” Modoudi said.
“For 15 years the West has tried to reduce our foreign trade to zero, but despite these sanctions our economy was not paralyzed and the enemy has not yet succeeded in pushing us into commercial stagnation.”
Military deployments in the Middle East are part of a psychological campaign rather than preparation for open conflict, a member of Iran’s parliament said on Friday.
“Military buildup in the region is psychological warfare; I know this well. Before a war there are other stages. Before the 12-day war they created ISIS, then launched the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement inside, and then initiated talks,” said Esmail Kowsari, a member of the parliamentary national security committee, in remarks on state television.
Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense minister, earlier described the US military’s deployment of large numbers of refueling aircraft to the region as “psychological operations.”
“This talk of war after the snapback activation is also psychological warfare, not a real operation, because they want to disrupt the markets,” Kowsari added.
A renewed Israeli assault would spark a wider regional war involving all neighboring countries, a member of Iran’s parliament said on Friday.
“This war will certainly cover all countries in the region if Israel thinks of another aggression,” said Sara Fallahi, a member of the parliamentary national security committee.
“The new war will not be like the 12-day war when some enemies survived, and Iran will come to the battlefield with all its strength,” Fallahi said.
