Ambassador Richard Mills
Deputy Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
December 30, 2020
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My delegation wishes to propose an oral amendment to draft resolution A/C.5/75/L.18, entitled “Estimates in respect of special political missions.”
The United States made clear, both in statements and in a letter to the President of the Security Council in September, that previously lifted United Nations sanctions measures on Iran have been re-imposed, pursuant to the process outlined in Security Council Resolution 2231.
We are disappointed that in light of the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions, the Secretary-General has not taken steps to facilitate the snapback of previously lifted sanctions measures, including by reducing resources for the 2231 Team and taking necessary steps to facilitate the establishment of the Panel of Experts and Sanctions Committee, under Security Council Resolutions 1929 and 1737, respectively.
As such, my delegation would like to propose the addition of two paragraphs to the draft resolution as follows:
“Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions following the issuance of S/2020/927, including but not limited to, facilitating the re-establishment of the Panel of Experts (S/RES/1929, 2010) and the Sanctions Committee (S/RES/1737, 2006).”
The second paragraph would read:
“Decides to reduce the staffing complement of the 2231 Team by one P-5 Team Leader/Senior Political Affairs Officer, one P-4 Political Affairs Officer, and one P-3 Political Affairs Officer, as necessary to facilitate the significantly narrowed reporting requirements remaining in place, and requests the Secretary-General to reduce the operational costs for the 2231 Team accordingly.”
Mr. Chairman, this is the language that the United States proposed at the outset of these negotiations. And the language is fully consistent with the U.S. decision to initiate snapback and re-impose previously lifted UN sanctions measures on Iran. We remind our fellow Member States that the steps taken by the United States to re-impose these sanctions measures were well within our rights, as outlined by the snapback process in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which we followed faithfully.
The language we are proposing would provide the UN Secretariat with significantly greater resources and personnel to monitor compliance with the recently re-imposed UN sanctions measures on Iran, which includes the arms embargo that was extended through snapback.
This increased resourcing will advance international peace and security by strengthening mechanisms to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for its malign actions throughout the Middle East and across the world.
This amendment is the right thing to do, consistent with the re-imposed sanctions on Iran, and we call on all Member States to support us in this amendment.
Thank you.
###
