China has warned that renewed sanctions and threats of force could destabilize the Middle East.

📻 Breaking It Down

BEIJING, China, Jun 10 — China’s envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council to exercise prudence and play a constructive role in addressing the Iranian nuclear issue, amid growing disagreement among Security Council members over the status of UN sanctions on Iran.

“I want to reiterate that the Security Council has ceased its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue,” Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the council.

He said the proper resolution of the issue bears on the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, and global peace and security.

📌 What You Need to Know

Ahead of the meeting, eight countries — France, Bahrain, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the US — issued a joint statement urging all UN member states to fully implement the recently reimposed Security Council sanctions against Iran.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Jerome Bonnafont, French permanent representative to the UN, said Iran possesses more than 10 International Atomic Energy Agency significant quantities of highly enriched uranium, a level at which “the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear device cannot be excluded”.

Sun stressed that “Iran’s legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be addressed alongside non-proliferation concerns”.

He noted “Iran’s repeated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons”, and said that, as a state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, “Iran enjoys the legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

The remarks were made during an open briefing of the Security Council on the work of the 1737 Committee, which was established to oversee sanctions on Iran prior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The committee had reported to the Security Council every three months before the adoption of the JCPOA in 2015, which suspended both the committee and its reporting requirements.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya