Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that international law was at risk of being undermined by the United States, he wrote in letters to his counterparts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Iran’s ambassador in Colombo said on Friday.
Ambassador Alireza Delkhosh quoted Araghchi as saying, “We must support international law. This is not only about Iran, it is about the dignity of international law.” He said the minister warned, “Today Iran is the target, tomorrow it may be South Asian countries and the day after African states.”
Delkhosh said the message urged governments to resist pressure from Western powers. “International law has become a plaything for the United States. This decision, taken with Western countries, is very dangerous for international law,” he said.
Araghchi told the two South Asian countries that the latest sanctions showed the fragility of global rules. “This moment is a critical test for the credibility of international law,” the minister wrote, according to the envoy.
The letters came after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran last month through the snapback mechanism. Britain, France and Germany triggered the process, saying Tehran had failed to meet commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The European Union on Monday reinstated sweeping sanctions on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs, restoring bans on oil exports, banking, transport and energy trade that had been lifted under the nuclear deal. The EU said Iran had breached its obligations and noted that its enriched uranium stockpile was far above agreed limits.
US tightens pressure
The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on 38 individuals and companies from Iran and China accused of supplying Iran’s military procurement network. The Treasury Department said the network provided missile technology and helicopter parts to Iran’s defense ministry. It said the move was part of efforts to enforce renewed UN sanctions and deny Tehran access to advanced technologies.
Iran has rejected the return of UN sanctions as illegal and without effect. The foreign ministry said any attempt to revive resolutions that ended in 2015 was “null and void” and created no obligation for member states.
