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Iran leader derides possible UN nuclear sanctions as 'illegal'

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday strongly criticized new attempts to impose UN sanctions on his country's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad was in Uganda meeting with President Yoweri Museveni when he made the comments. The Iranian leader said that actions being taken by the United States and its allies in the UN Security Council are illegal and that his country will not accept any pressure. He also said that any evidence submitted by the United States and Britain for new UN sanctions amounted to "lies" similar to the claims made over nuclear weapons in Iraq which served as an impetus to the 2003 war. The UN Security Council has resumed meetings over a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, but the United States has indicated it will impose unilateral sanctions if UN sanctions are not finalized by May. In September, Ahmadinejad denied that Iran had broken nuclear development regulations in respect to a newly-disclosed nuclear facility. The statement followed a press conference where US, British, French, and German leaders gathered for the G-20 summit said in a joint statement that Iran had violated the terms of agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by failing to disclose in a timely manner the existence of a nuclear facility. Under the terms of a 2003 protocol to Iran's original IAEA Safeguards Agreement, Iran was obligated to disclose the existence of the plant prior to construction. In December 2006 the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium and broadened them three months later. The UN had previously ordered Iran to stop expanding its nuclear program by August 31, 2006. Iran has said it will completely withdraw from the IAEA if its "nuclear rights" are taken away.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 25, 2010 (boomark / email).