Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks while addressing the UN Security Council during an open debate meeting titled “Strengthening Maritime Security through International Cooperation for Global Stability” on Tuesday.
His remarks came shortly after the acting US representative to the UN, Dorothy Shea, accused Tehran of violating a UN’s arms embargo on Yemen through supporting the Arab country’s Ansarullah resistance movement.
She further alleged that Ansarullah fighters "were able to threaten Red Sea maritime traffic" largely due to what she described as "Iran’s defiance of the UN arms embargo" on the movement.
"This Council must not tolerate this defiance and should impose consequences for sanctions violations,” she further said.
In response, Iran’s UN envoy said that Tehran “categorically” denied “the baseless, politically motivated accusations made by the representatives of the United States and the Israeli regime.”
Washington’s accusations are both “misleading” and a deliberate attempt “to distort the realities in the region in order to deflect attention from the root causes of instability and insecurity in the Red Sea and beyond,” Iravani stressed.
“The allegation that Iran is violating the UN arms embargo on Yemen is entirely unfounded. Iran has consistently rejected any involvement in activities that would contravene relevant Security Council resolutions. Resolution 2216 (2015) has been repeatedly misused by the United States to justify its unlawful unilateral measures beyond the Council’s mandate,” Iran’s UN envoy added.
He also noted that “Iran has consistently emphasized that enduring maritime stability requires inclusive regional cooperation."
"Unfortunately, unilateral coercive measures (UCMs), particularly the extraterritorial sanctions imposed by the United States, undermine collective efforts," he further warned.
Iran asserts that lasting maritime stability depends on inclusive regional cooperation, but unilateral US sanctions undermine such a goal by disrupting legal trade, seizing Iranian oil, and violating international law, he said.
The envoy reaffirmed Iran's position that maritime security must be universal, not selective, and grounded in international law and respect for sovereignty.
“Maritime security must not be selective or subject to unilateral interpretations. It must be upheld universally, based on international law, non-discrimination, and full respect for state sovereignty,” Iravani stressed.
In conclusion, Iran’s UN envoy stressed that “Iran remains fully committed to international maritime law and cooperates with all responsible stakeholders to ensure sea lanes remain open, secure, and governed by the rule of law, not by the rule of force.”
As the genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip escalated, the Yemenis enacted a strategic blockade on essential maritime routes to obstruct the delivery of military supplies to Israel and urge the international community to take action regarding the ongoing humanitarian emergency in Gaza.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have declared they will continue their assaults until Israel ceases its ground and aerial offensives in Gaza.
Press TV