Addressing a UN Security Council debate on Tuesday, Amir Saeid Iravani said unilateral coercive measures have no legal basis and blatantly violate international law and the UN Charter.

“The penholders must refrain from using sanctions as a cover for illegal unilateral actions or as a weapon against the countries under the agenda to advance their narrow political purposes, all of which would be harmful to civilian populations and the well-being of independent sovereign states,” he said.

The following is the full transcript of his statement:

Mr. President,

I thank you for convening this open debate.

Improving the Security Council's efficiency and effectiveness should be a continuous endeavor, grounded first and foremost in the commitment of its members since the dynamic and developing nature of global peace and security challenges needs such constant adaptation.

In pursuit of these goals, the most effective approach is to initiate a comprehensive reform that will transform the Security Council into an entirely transparent, rule-based, and, most importantly, accountable body that upholds the rule of law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter while serving the common interests of the entire membership.

Similarly, the Security Council's improper and unlawful practices, as well as the application of the double standard, which is detrimental to international peace and security, must be prioritized in such reform.

This highlights the significance of the Council's working methods as one of the five major topics now being discussed in the ongoing Security Council reform debates in the format of IGN.

Against this backdrop, and in alignment with the agenda for today's open debate, I would like to highlight the following points:

1. In all decisions, the Security Council must adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring that its actions are consistent with its UN Charter-based mandate while preventing interference in the internal affairs of member states.

2. Any attempt to abuse the Security Council's rules of procedure, established practices, or working methods for political purposes undermines the Security Council's credibility and legitimacy, as well as the Security Council's ability to uphold the UN Charter. Regrettably, such wrongful endeavors are becoming more common, and certain member states have cynically abused the Council's Presidency to advance their narrow national interests, as was the case with the recent semi-annual briefing on the Security Council resolution 2231 held on July 6th, when the Council's Presidency extended an invitation to a member state with no relevance to the meeting's agenda item, a practice that is both irresponsible and a clear abuse of the process and position. Such irresponsible actions must be stopped.

3. The issue of the penholder system is an ongoing concern, as it has been exploited to promote the interests of specific members. Currently, the three Permanent members, with a colonial mentality, maintain control over most country-specific matters under the Council agenda, often disregarding the views and legitimate concerns of countries under the agenda and even subjecting them to undue pressure. This approach results in rushed decisions without comprehensive expert review, ignoring the views of other Council members, and leading to non-consensual documents. It is imperative that both penholders and co-penholders carry out their duties responsibly and impartially.

4. Finally, regarding sanctions, we believe that these measures must undergo rigorous and ongoing assessment for their profound humanitarian consequences, with a commitment to suspend or terminate them when deemed essential. When deliberating the imposition of sanctions, particularly in scenarios, where their necessity or justification is questionable, the Security Council should exercise its Chapter VII powers with deliberate care, wisdom, and profound consideration of the significant humanitarian and human rights repercussions on civilian populations. Furthermore, the penholders must refrain from using sanctions as a cover for illegal unilateral actions or as a weapon against the countries under the agenda to advance their narrow political purposes, all of which would be harmful to civilian populations and the well-being of independent sovereign states. Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs) have no legal basis and blatantly violate international law and the UN Charter.

I thank you, Mr. President.