UN endorses Iran nuclear deal with 6 world powers

“The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously”, announced New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully, who presided over the Security Council for the Iran meeting.

US President Barack Obama on Monday hailed the passage of a UN Security Council resolution backing his nuclear deal with Iran, saying he expected a skeptical Congress to take note.

Both U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power and Iran’s United Nations Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo called the agreement an important achievement for diplomacy, the Iranian promising to be “resolute in fulfilling its obligations” and the American pledging to be vigilant in ensuring they are carried out. Gabriel flew to Iran, becoming the first top Western official to visit the country since world powers and Tehran reached a historic nuclear deal.

The Security Council resolution, which is legally binding, lays out the steps required for the lifting of U.N. sanctions, not the sanctions imposed separately by the United States and the European Union.

“Today President Obama ignored the concerns of the American people, and senior members of his own party, and allowed the United Nations Security Council to take up his proposed nuclear deal with Iran”. Rather than criticizing the new agreement with Iran, we should be demanding that all countries agree to the restrictions and inspections that it effectuates.

Once sanction relief may be implemented, seven previous United Nations resolutions will be terminated, and the measures contained in the resolution adopted on Monday will come into effect.

The agreement will bring back Iran to the global trade framework permitting it import goods from around the world, although not heavy weapons for five years and ballistic missiles for eight years.

“The resolution provides for the eventual removal of all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran and guarantees that the worldwide Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to verify Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA”, Mr. Ban highlighted.

In reaction to a potential compensation package following the Iran deal, Netanyahu continued to attack the accord on ABC’s This Week programme on Sunday and dismissed any potential United States compensation as it would give the message that Israel accepts the deal.

I believe that “Congress will pay attention to that broad” consensus, Obama said.

The Obama administration has lauded the agreement hammered out in grueling negotiations in Vienna as a major diplomatic breakthrough that will put Iran’s nuclear ambitions back 15 years or more. The conventional arms embargo will be removed only after five years. But they began with the instruction, “Go negotiate the best agreement that Iran will sign”. This unusual feature is designed so that Iran’s allies on the Security Council-Russia and China-can’t use their veto to keep sanctions from being reimposed.