Iran Asks the United Nations to Condemn Pompeo's Statements

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations sent a letter to the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, describing recent statements by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with a Persian-language television network as 'provocative' and interpreting them as a threat to 'starve the Iranian people.' The letter, signed by Ishaq Al Habib, Deputy Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, was published on Friday, December 9, on the official website of Iran's permanent mission to the UN. The letter refers to a recent interview with Mr. Pompeo on BBC Persian, in which he stated: 'The leadership [of Iran] must decide whether they want their people to have food to eat. They must decide whether they want to spend their wealth on importing medicine, rather than on Qassem Soleimani's travels in the Middle East, which lead to death and destruction.' However, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN stated in the letter that 'these statements, which are accompanied by the wrong practical actions of the United States, represent a clear threat to starve and use it as a means for economic warfare aimed at punishing an entire nation, and thus violate the fundamental principles of international law.' The U.S. insists that it is determined to maintain maximum pressure on the Iranian government to change its behavior, and therefore has reinstated economic sanctions against Tehran by withdrawing from the Vienna nuclear agreement. Washington has set twelve conditions for reaching another agreement with Iran, including 'not supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad' and 'ending military support for Houthi militants and the Taliban in Afghanistan.' However, Iran has described the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and the reinstatement of sanctions as 'illegal,' a point reiterated in Ishaq Al Habib's letter. He wrote that these sanctions 'seriously affect the Iranian people's access to medicine, medical equipment, and other goods that are vital for the life and health of the people,' and from this perspective, 'such policies and actions constitute a crime against humanity.' U.S. officials have repeatedly emphasized that the sanctions do not include medicine and food and other humanitarian items. For instance, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, stated that the Iranian government provides false information to the people in this regard. The letter from Iran's mission to the UN further states that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran not only endures all hostile and illegal actions of the United States as it has for the past forty years... but will also pursue its goals without sacrificing its independence.' Ultimately, the letter calls on the United Nations and its members to condemn the statements of U.S. officials.