Arash Aramesh

After confirmation that the final draft of a new UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Iran has been approved by all permanent members, the Iranian government and its allies in the media started a wave of harsh reactions against the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

During a press conference in Istanbul June 8, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized what he called the double standard held by international organizations including the UN Security Council and said, “Despite the fact that the IAEA has emphasized the civilian nature of Iran’s nuclear program, the Security Council, influenced by imperialist powers, is seeking to pass a new resolution against Iran, but in contradiction to the fact that the Zionist regime has nuclear weapons, no actions are taken against them.”

According to Abrar, a conservative newspaper in Iran, Ahmadinejad said the foundation of such organizations discrimination and injustice and asserted, “The Security Council is one of the most undemocratic institutions in the world.”

Regarding the possibility of talks with the West and the United States, President Ahmadinejad said, “We will talk to anyone except the Zionist regime.” He added, “We expected that Obama would change US policies but we have no hope for that.” He asserted, “We are always open to talks based on mutual respect and without preconditions.” Ahmadinejad said that the trilateral declaration reached in Tehran on May 16 was a great opportunity for the West and the US, but Washington failed to take advantage of it. Emphasizing his disregard for a potential Security Council resolution against Iran, Ahmadinejad said, “The US government and its allies are mistaken, if they think they can bring a stick called ‘resolution’ and then talk [to us].”

In addition, the Iranian parliament announced its plans to vote on a bill to “revise Iran’s relationship with the IAEA.” According to Fars news, a semi-official news agency with intimate ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, members of the Iranian parliament will vote on revising their ties to the IAEA if the UN Security Council resolution is passed. A senior member of the Iranian parliament said that the West could have put an end to all these tensions had they accepted the trilateral deal reached in Tehran and brokered by Turkey and Brazil, but they decided to oppose it.

If passed, this bill would limit IAEA’s operations in Iran and could be the start towards severing all ties with the agency. In this case, Iran might leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a signatory and declare itself a non-committed state. Such a move could have drastic consequences for Iran and the region because it would undermine diplomatic efforts to solve the Iranian nuclear case peacefully and would give new life to the supporters of military strikes against Iran.