Complaint against US to prove Iran’s legitimacy; Hague’s ruling not binding

TEHRAN– Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi, stressing that The Hague’s ruling is not legally binding, said Iran’s complaint against US was simply aimed at proving our legitimacy to the international community.

Speaking in a Radio program on Wednesday, Araghchi asserted that JCPOA has earned Iran the title of a powerful country in international and regional arenas, adding “US pressure against Iran is because of the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran; if we were not strong, there was no such pressure on us.”

“Our policy is establishing all-encompassing ties with the East and the West; except for one or two countries, we have relations with all the countries; to counteract US efforts to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran, we also need to take a global move against US policies and establish special interactions with the world,” he said, referring to Leader’s remarks in a meeting with the ambassadors and foreign ministry officials, Mehr News reported.

According to Iran’s agreement with the United States in 1950s, he added, a lawsuit has been filed at the International Court of Justice against the country, and based on the treaty, re-enforcing sanctions is against the Law.

He added that ICJ’s jurisdiction over the issue must be recognized; “this process may take a long time, and the ultimate decision is not binding under international law.”

“We are not seeking a proof over US condemnation at the Hague Court, so that the United States might be forced to take action; in fact, we are seeking to show the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the international community, to prove that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been committed to its obligation in this regard and the United States is the wrongdoer,” he noted.

Araghchi said the process will impose political and psychological pressure on the United States, adding that the “international law is such that it would not be possible for a country like the United States to be condemned and forced to respect the rules, however, the pressures would be effective.”

“Iran’s policy is to focus on all geographical areas; we will make our attemps to favor our national interests and, in every corner of the world, we will seek our own national interests and we will try to secure them,” he concluded.

M.Wassouf