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Updated June 5th, 2021 at 06:24 IST

Iran calls UN voting rights suspension 'unacceptable and completely unjustified'

After the UN suspended Iran’s voting rights at the General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the decision “entirely unacceptable".

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Iran
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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After the UN suspended Iran’s voting rights at the General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the decision “entirely unacceptable and completely unjustified”. Zarif expressed his “strong dismay” at the loss of voting rights in a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres. He said that Iran rejected the suspension of its voting privileges because Tehran’s “incapacity to transfer its financial contribution has been entirely beyond its control”.

Iran’s voting rights at the UNGA were suspended back in January under rules for countries whose arrears are equal to or exceed their contributions due for the past two years. Tehran, on the other hand, argues that the $16.2 million it owes to the UN is the result of Washington’s crippling sanctions, which were imposed after former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. 

Now, on May 28, Guterres in a letter to the UNGA said that five nations were barred from voting due to their failure to pay arrears. However, he also added that the UN could permit them to vote if it were deemed to be “due to conditions beyond control” of the member state. 

In response, Zarif wrote, “Iran’s inability to fulfil its financial obligation toward the United Nations is directly caused by ‘unlawful unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States”. 

Iran urges UN to ‘remain true to principles, purpose’

The Iranian foreign minister went on to urge the UN leadership to “remain true to the purpose and principles” of the UN charter. He also asked the agency to “refrain from any decision that betrays the spirit of sovereign equality of member states, and weakens multilateralism”. Moreover, he wrote that Iran would continue to make every effort to settle to arrears in the payment of its financial contribution as soon as the underlying imposed condition, i.e the US’ “unlawful and unilateral coercive measures”, is removed. 

Meanwhile, the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions led to Iran stepping up its nuclear activities. Presently, US President Joe Biden has signalled his readiness to revive the accord. The global powers, on the other hand, have been meeting in Vienna since early April in a bid to do so, with a fresh round of talks slated to begin next week.

 

(Image: AP)

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Published June 5th, 2021 at 06:24 IST

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