Iran says U.S. unilateral actions weaken UN Charter, threaten multilateralism

TEHRAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) said the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal and reimposition of the "illegal" sanctions against Tehran are flagrant instances of unilateralism that undermine the UN Charter and threaten multilateralism.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks on Monday in an address to a UN Security Council debate on multilateralism, the official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The Iranian envoy cited several instances of U.S. unilateralism that include forcing countries into supporting and taking part in its "illegal" actions and defying the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), noting that such unilateral actions have also weakened the UN system.

On March 30, the ICJ ruled that the United States had "illegally allowed its courts to freeze Iranian companies' assets" and ordered Washington to pay compensation to Iran, the amount of which will be determined later.

The Iranian diplomat added that using unilateral coercive measures, including their extraterritorial implementation, is yet another worrisome example of harmful unilateral actions that are in contradiction to the fundamental principles of international law, the UN Charter, and basic human rights.

Iravani said such "illegal actions" have far-reaching humanitarian impacts and can weaken diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving differences and enhancing cooperation among countries.

In May 2018, the United States unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed between Iran and world powers in July 2015, and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.