US Clashes with Russia, China on Iran Nuclear Program

The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and China at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear intentions. The US, which chairs the council this month, sought to justify its recent military action against Iran, while Russia and China moved unsuccessfully to block a discussion about a committee established to oversee and enforce UN sanctions on Iran.

US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz accused Moscow and Beijing of seeking to protect Tehran by blocking the work of the so-called 1737 Committee. He emphasized that all member states should be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freezing relevant financial assets.

Waltz noted that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reiterated that Iran was the only state without nuclear weapons to have produced uranium enriched up to 60%, and had refused to provide the IAEA access to this stockpile. Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya accused the US and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” surrounding supposed plans Iran had to get a nuclear weapon, which were never corroborated by IAEA reports.

China’s representative, Fu Cong, called Washington the "instigator" of the Iranian nuclear crisis and said it had resorted to the use of force against Iran during negotiations. Iran's UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told reporters that Iran’s nuclear program has always been exclusively peaceful. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has used Iran’s nuclear program to justify his war on Iran.

Britain and France supported the US by telling the Security Council that re-imposing sanctions on Iran was justified by Tehran’s failure to address concerns about its nuclear program. France stated that the IAEA could no longer guarantee the peaceful nature of the program, adding that Tehran's nuclear stockpile was sufficient for 10 nuclear devices.