Russia slams UN Secretariat’s 'pro-Western bias' over Iran snapback sanctions

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has slammed the UN Secretariat of acting beyond its authority by supporting the reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran, labeling its actions a "classic example" of pro-Western bias.

"The UN Secretariat hastened to post some kind of statement on its website... This is a classic example of how the UN Secretariat acts beyond its mandate, beyond its authority, contrary to international law, simply because it is West-biased," Zakharova stated during a news briefing.

On September 28 the UN Secretariat issued a formal notification that the sanctions list and its associated website, managed by the Security Council's 1737 Committee, have been reinstated.

Zakharova emphasized that the UN Security Council has not passed any decisions granting the UN Secretariat the authority "to issue opinions on such sensitive matters, which are within the exclusive competence of the UN Security Council."

Zakharova noted that the UN Secretariat's actions took place against the backdrop of a comprehensive brainwashing campaign.

"Leading Western media outlets have once again begun aggressively promoting in the public sphere the idea of reinstating UN restrictions on Iran, which were lifted under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as part of the implementation of Resolution 2231, which approved it."

On September 19, the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the E3 triggered the "snapback" mechanism and accused Tehran of failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

A subsequent resolution, which sought to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass at the UNSC on Friday.

The Council restored the bans on Sunday at 0000 GMT. They will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with the Islamic Republic and target the country’s defensive missile program.

"From the perspective of Western propaganda, the international audience is to have a false impression that the UN Security Council sanctions resolution in effect until 2015 is ostensibly back in force," Zakharova explained.

Iran says UN Secretariat’s notice on resurrected sanctions goes beyond its power

Iran has strongly protested the UN Secretariat’s notification of member states about the re-application of terminated resolutions targeting the Islamic Republic with sanctions.

According to Zakharova, Western powers are misrepresenting the rejection of a draft resolution to extend the sanctions-lifting regime as grounds for reviving long-lifted restrictions.

"The notorious snapback - the mechanism for reimposing sanctions - cannot be considered effective," Zakharova noted.

"Claims to the contrary are a deliberate distortion of reality," Zakharova said. "There's simply nothing to add to this except for extreme concern over the West's ongoing confrontational stance."

She condemned Western efforts to "drag as many accomplices as possible into the black vortex of its subversive plans, manipulations, and fabrications."

She also expressed "condolences" for UN Secretariat representatives who are engaged in “implementing Western manipulations on behalf of the UN.”

Zakharova suggested this incident should be included in textbooks under the heading "international lawlessness."

In her final assessment, Zakharova described the entire situation as "the inside story, a mechanism of Western manipulation, Western tyranny, to destroy international law and the United Nations."

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