US Pledges to Continue Using All Tools to Counter Iran

Iran

July 1st, 8:05am

New York - Asharq Al-Awsat

US deputy ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis and UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo speak at the Security Council meeting in New York, US, on Wednesday June 30, 2021.

US deputy ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis told Security Council members on Wednesday that Washington "will continue using all tools to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities." He made the warning amid talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - under which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for a lifting of many foreign sanctions against it. The 15-member council discussed on Wednesday the UN secretary-general's biannual report on the implementation of a 2015 resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal between Iran, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. “The last few rounds of discussions in Vienna have helped to crystallize the choices that need to be made by Iran and by the United States in order achieve a mutual return to compliance," DeLaurentis said. “The United States is committed to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and we believe diplomacy, in coordination with our allies and regional partners, is the best path to achieve that goal,” he told the council. But DeLaurentis said recent reports by UN chief Antonio Guterres and the International Atomic Energy Agency make clear that Iran is escalating its nuclear program beyond the agreement's limits, both in numbers and types of centrifuges, quantities and levels of uranium enrichment up to 60%, and producing uranium metal. “We urge Iran to refrain from taking further escalatory steps and to return to full implementation" of the agreement's provisions, "including those related to IAEA verification, monitoring, and implementation of the additional protocol,” DeLaurentis said. Guterres appealed to US President Joe Biden's administration to lift or waive all sanctions on Iran as agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal. In a report to the UN Security Council, Guterres also urged the United States to "extend the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and fully renew waivers for nuclear non-proliferation projects." Former US President Donald Trump abandoned the pact in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions, prompting Tehran to start violating some of the nuclear limits in 2019. In his report, Guterres described Iran's violations as "worrying steps" and appealed to Tehran to return to full compliance. UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that diplomatic efforts in Vienna “offer a critical opportunity” for the US and Iran to return fully to the deal. She echoed Guterres’ appeal to the US to lift or waive sanctions and extend waivers on oil trade with Iran. She called on Iran to refrain from further escalation, return to full implementation of the deal, and resume an agreement with the IAEA to monitor and verify its nuclear activities that expired June 24. Calling this “a defining moment," DiCarlo said it is “critical for all parties to seize this opportunity" to put the agreement back on track.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3056776/us-pledges-continue-using-all-tools-counter-iran