UN ‘court’: America is treaty-bound to end sanctions on Iran! U.S.: Here’s what we think of that treaty

By Dan Calabrese —— Bio and Archives October 4, 2018

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If there is a bigger joke than the generic concept of “international law,” it’s the attempts made by the United Nations to enforce said “law.” The people who allowed Cuba to chair their “Human Rights Commission” (you have to use scare quotes a lot when you talk about the UN) actually put men in robes, give them gavels and have them issue “rulings” as if any of this has moral or legal legitimacy.

But when you’re an outlaw regime, you’ll accept any veneer of legitimacy you can get, so Iran was pretty excited on Monday when a UN “court” (I know, but I have to) issued a “ruling” that “ordered” the United States to end its sanctions against the mad mullahs. The supposed legal basis for this “ruling” was that the U.S. has a humanitarian treaty with Iran that dates back to the 1950s, and that the U.S. is thus treaty-bound not to impose any sanctions that might have humanitarian consequences. The Trump Administration, when it had finished laughing, made sure everyone understood the score with respect to “international law” and this treaty:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the White House was terminating a 1950s treaty with Iran after a United Nations court ruled the accord prevented the US from imposing sanctions that would affect humanitarian aid. “We’re disappointed that the court failed to recognize that it has no jurisdiction to issue any order relating to these sanctions measures with the United States, which is doing its work on Iran to protect its own essential security interests,” Pompeo said during a news conference at the State Department. The United Nations’ highest court ordered the US to ensure that sanctions against the Islamic Republic that will be strengthened next month do not imperil humanitarian aid or civil aviation in the country.

The International Court of Justice, ruling in favor of Tehran, said the sanctions reinstated after President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May would violate the terms of a 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries. In response, Pompeo said the US would pull out of the treaty, an action that is “39 years overdue.” “Iran has attempted to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions as necessary to protect our national security and Iran is abusing the ICJ for political and propaganda purposes,” he said.

This is about as much respect as the UN deserves for anything it does. I guess you can’t blame Iran for running to a complete joke of an international organization looking for affirmation while it continues trying to build a nuclear weapon it can use to destroy Israel. After all, the UN hates Israel as much as the Iranians do, so it’s no surprise they would expect to find kindred spirits at Turtle Bay. It’s about time we had a U.S. administration that not only thumbs its nose at the UN’s nonsense, but also refuses to countenance the idiotic notion that the UN has any legitimacy in the first place. Maybe now Iran can run to ISIS for a new ruling. That will be about as legitimate as anything the UN does.