Speculations and Sanctions: Iran’s week with the E3, UN, and ICJ
Iran's approach to the nuclear deal appeared to be changing this week. Or rather, the international community was informed of developments in the Iranian nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran now holds 12 times the limit of low enriched uranium, enriching at a military facility with no civilian use, and potentially enriching above the 3.67% threshold of the nuclear deal. The E3 (UK, Germany, France) expressed concern that these actions were "hollowing out the core non-proliferation benefits of the deal". Analysts see this as a response to US sanctions have been in place for over two years. In a speech this week President Khamenei condemned the E3 criticism and said a return to the deal would come with the sanctions' end.
Iran's nuclear water reactor at Arak, south of the Tehran. Photo Credit: Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AFP
Tensions over nuclear developments come as Iran faced difficulties in other policy areas of international concern. The International Court of Justice received a legal complaint from Iran over US sanctions on medical equipment. The Iranian Health Ministry claimed that US sanctions denied them access to life support systems and medical supplies in the pandemic's first peak. This accusation is significant because limiting access to medical supplies is against international law. The US sanctions detail an exemption on medical supplies; however, there were exceptions for certain Iranian actors deemed too close to the Iranian military.
Canada put forward a resolution in the UN General Assembly, this week, which angered the Iranian administration. The resolution called for the human rights of protesters from the November 2019 protests to be upheld. The demonstrations, which saw the worst unrest in 40 years, lasted until July this year and were brutally suppressed. The Canadian resolution expressed concern over the judicial treatment of drug-related crimes and minors. Canadian officials also called for the release of political prisoners and reform of the conditions in Iranian prisons.
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/world/middleeast/iran-protests-deaths.html