Iran has maintained its active neutrality in the Ukraine war
and has never given weapons to the two sides of the war, Iran’s ambassador and
permanent representative to the United Nations said on Thursday.
Amir Saeed Iravani said Iran has been insisting on an
immediate end to the war in Ukraine, and despite bilateral defense cooperation
with Russia, Tehran has never given weapons to the warring parties for use in
the war in Ukraine before or after the conflict.
Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting, he refuted
claims by Western countries on alleged use of Iranian drones in the war in
Ukraine and attempts to link it with UN Security Council Resolution 2231 on the
nuclear agreement.
“A
number of members of the United Nations Security Council, including the United
States, have accused other countries of violating UNSCR 2231, while they
themselves continue to violate all legal obligations under the same resolution.
A clear example of this breach of commitment is the illegal
withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal and the continuation
of this breach of obligations now as leverage for bargaining.
An action that is considered a clear and flagrant violation
of the mandatory rules of international law, the United Nations Charter and
Security Council Resolution 2231,” the diplomat stated.
In another move, Iravani pointed out, Western countries have
tried to present false, misleading, arbitrary and incomplete interpretations of
Resolution 2231.
“They
made a false connection between this resolution and the use of drones in the
conflict in Ukraine in order to justify their baseless claims against the
Islamic Republic of Iran,” the ambassador stated.
He
added that the claim of violation of Paragraph 4 of Appendix B of Resolution
2231 is a mistake and a misleading and arbitrary interpretation, which is
considered to be in contradiction with the provisions, spirit and text of this
paragraph.
“This paragraph clearly refers to the limitations of items, materials,
equipment, goods and technology that could contribute to the development
related to nuclear weapons, in which Iran has never produced or supplied these
items and has no intention to produce them,” Iravani underlined.
Regarding the request submitted to the UN Secretariat to
conduct an investigation within the framework of Resolution 2231 to evaluate
the type of drones used in the conflict in Ukraine, the ambassador stressed the
resolution has not provided any legal basis for conducting such investigations.
“In addition, and more importantly, the memorandum dated
January 16, 2016 by the head of the Security Council has specified the duties
related to the implementation of the resolution, especially in relation to the
principles mentioned in paragraph 2 and 7 of Appendix B of this resolution. The
Secretariat has duties regarding this resolution including managing all
incoming and outgoing communications related to the implementation of the
resolution, drafting correspondence, speeches and justifying the facilitator
related to the implementation of the resolution, maintaining all information
and documents related to the work of the Security Council,” he added.
Ambassador Iravani further warned any misuse of the duties
mentioned in Resolution 2231, saying the requested investigation is illegal and
is considered a clear violation of the Secretariat's agenda.
“Mr.
President, I want to emphasize once again Iran's clear and consistent position
regarding the situation in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
Iran has adopted and maintained a position of active neutrality. Our country
emphasizes that all members of the United Nations must fully respect the goals
and principles contained in the United Nations Charter and international law,
including sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity,” the
diplomat said.
He concluded his remarks by saying, “Beyond the legal and
political position, Iran believes from a moral point of view that the supply of
military weapons cannot help end the war and will escalate the war and increase
the injuries and destructions and cause the suffering and pain of the
civilians. This is the reason why Iran has asked the parties to fulfill their
obligations under international humanitarian law and conduct consultations to
protect citizens and vital infrastructures against military attacks.”