World leaders discuss Iran sanctions, North Korea and non-proliferation at UN Security Council

Mr. Trump chaired the summit meeting of the 15-member Council, initiated by the United States, to discuss ways in which the body charged with overseeing global peace and security can better implement resolutions regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

After emphasizing the “urgent importance” of combating the use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons around the world, the president’s main concern was the JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The JCPOA – concluded by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union – defines rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, while paving the way for the lifting of UN sanctions against the country.

“This horrible, one-sided deal allowed Iran to continue its path toward the bomb,” he said. Starting in November, he said, U.S. sanctions would come into “full force” and the White House would impose new measures. Anyone who did not comply with American requirements “would face serious consequences,” he warned.

“The world is watching” Idlib

Addressing the plight of millions of Syrian civilians effectively trapped in Idlib, Mr. Trump thanked the Syrian, Russian and Iranian governments for abandoning a full-scale attack in early September.

“I hope restraint continues. The world is watching,” he said, also thanking Turkey for its role in establishing a civilian buffer zone.

Diverting from the main topic of the meeting, President Trump said the United States had “discovered that China is trying to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election… They don’t want me or us to win, because I’m the first president to challenge China on trade,” he said, without elaborating.

In his remarks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi categorically denied any involvement, saying that “China has always followed the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. This is a tradition of Chinese foreign policy.” He added that China “refused to accept any unwarranted accusations.” Mr. Yang also described the JCPOA as a “hard-won achievement of multilateralism” and a “viable agreement” that Iran honored.

“Contempt” for multilateralism

Speaking shortly after the U.S. leader, Bolivian President Evo Morales painted a very different picture of global power dynamics and the role of the United States. Iran, he said, is “once again the victim of a US siege” following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA.

He said the United States was “hiding behind pretexts to continue its policy of interference and meddling” in Iran. He said the people of the Middle East had suffered an “illegal invasion” in Iraq, the unjust overthrow of the government in Libya in 2011 and a disastrous civil war in Syria – all results of Western interference.

He accused the White House of “disregard for international law, multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the council’s permanent members had a “special responsibility to protect significant progress” made in stopping the use and stockpiling of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

But after chemical weapons were used repeatedly and with impunity in Syria, as well as isolated attacks in Malaysia and the English city of Salisbury – allegedly targeted killings – she said decades of progress were now under threat.

Progress in stopping chemical and biological warfare could ‘collapse’

“Predictability and stability are in decline. If we do not increase our collective efforts to preserve and build on what we have, there is a very real risk that these gains will weaken or disappear.”

She praised President Trump’s détente efforts regarding the DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, but called for sustained pressure and strict enforcement of sanctions. Regarding the JCPOA, she said “it remains the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and we are committed to preserving the JCPOA as long as Iran continues to fully comply with its obligations.” She offered “strong support” to the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) for its verification and monitoring role in Iran.

Regarding the Syrian government’s documented use of chemical weapons during the ongoing conflict, May praised the action of the United States and France with the United Kingdom, which responded militarily earlier this year following the attacks. She said it “sends a clear message” to the Assad regime. Perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons cannot escape identification nor act with impunity. Supporters of the regime “must use their influence” to stop further attacks, she said, promising a “rapid response” should something happen.

She accused Russia of preventing the Security Council to hold the Syrian government accountable by “exercising its veto on several occasions”.

For Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov countered that Syria destroyed all of its chemical weapons after agreeing to do so in 2013, instead alleging that it is “terrorist groups” that have been wielding chemical weapons since then.

“They’ve learned how to synthesize them, they’re building labs for it, and this is something we’ve been warned about for a long time.” He said Russia had repeatedly offered to cooperate on an international plan to end “chemical terrorism,” to no avail.

Regarding the Iran deal, Lavrov said the US withdrawal posed a “serious threat” to the global non-proliferation regime, “especially since… Tehran strictly respects its commitments.”

“Russia is convinced that we must maintain the JCPOA,” he said, adding that otherwise more tensions would be created in the Middle East, destabilizing national stability and non-proliferation. He also said dismantling the deal would harm efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.