By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Iran Envoy to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani on Thursday has sharply criticized the Bahrain-US efforts to rally support for a draft UN resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, called the campaign “ridiculous, misleading, and deceptive”, as per Iranian state media Press TV.
Iravani said “US efforts to highlight growing support for an anti-Iran draft resolution are ridiculous, misleading, and deceptive,”
He said that, ” no level of support gained through pressure or coercion can legitimise illegal US actions against Iran, including maritime blockades, attacks, and the seizure of commercial vessels, as well as the detention of crews like pirates.”
According to a diplomatic source cited by media reports a draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz has secured the backing of 112 co-sponsoring nations.
The resolution, introduced by Bahrain and the United States, to safeguard international waterways, commercial shipping, energy supplies and the safety of seafarers, media reported.
According to the news report, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait joined Bahrain and the United States as the principal sponsors. Countries including India, Japan, South Korea, Kenya and Argentina, along with most European Union member states, have also backed the draft.
“The list takes up three full pages,” said Al Jazeera’s correspondent in New York, Gabriel Elizondo. “It’s essentially being co-sponsored by two-thirds of all 193 UN member states.”
The news report noted that this is the second such resolution introduced by Bahrain. A precious draft submitted last month was vetoed by China and Russia, both of which have expressed reservations about the latest proposal.
No date has yet been set for a vote on the resolution, media reported.
US President Donald Trump discarded Iran’s peace proposal plan and stated that the ceasefire stands on “life support.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, accused the US “not doing serious diplomacy”.
He stressed that Iran has “not attacked neighbouring countries” and referred to the presence of US military bases in the region.
“US is not doing serious diplomacy,” he said.
Gharibabadi told that the Strait of Hormuz situation will be better than before once peace is established.
“There will be transparency. There will be no discrepancy. We will not go beyond international law. If peace is established, it will have more safety and security than before,” he said.
President Trump on Monday (local time) discarded Iran’s peace proposal plan and said that the ceasefire stands on “life support”. Trump said that Iran is the weakest it has been and called Tehran’s proposal “a piece of garbage” and unacceptable.
“After reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn’t even finish reading it. They (Iran) are on life support. The ceasefire is on massive life support.”
He reiterated his claims that Iran has been defeated militarily, Trump said that whatever little Iran had built up in the period of ceasefire, the US would “knock that out in about a day”.
Trump added that the Iranian leadership has been killed at several levels and termed the proposal shared by them “stupid”.
Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, on Tuesday said that there is no alternative but to accept the 14-point proposal.
He called any other approach inconclusive and a failure, stressing that the delay would result in American taxpayers bearing the brunt.
