TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reacted strongly to Washington’s announcement that President Donald Trump is going to chair the upcoming UN Security Council and use the opportunity against Iran.

“There's only one UNSC resolution on Iran. .@realDonaldTrump is violating it & bullying others to do same. Now he plans to abuse presidency of SC to divert a session—item devoted to Palestine for 70 yrs— to blame Iran for horrors U.S. & clients have unleashed across M.E. #chutzpah,” Zarif tweeted on Wednesday.

A few hours earlier, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley had said Trump would chair a UN Security Council meeting on Iran this month during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York. 

The United States, which holds the council presidency for September, has unsuccessfully pushed the Security Council to call out Iran. Haley has regularly attacked Iran, accusing it of meddling in the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Diplomats said Iran could request to speak at the 26 September meeting, the high-level week of the UN General Assembly. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to address the assembly on September 25. The Iranian UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Haley said the United States would not object to Rouhani speaking. Rouhani is scheduled to travel to New York in late September.

Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the Iran meeting should focus on the implementation of a 2015 resolution on Iran.

“We very much hope that there will be views voiced in connection with the U.S. withdrawal” from a 2015 international nuclear deal, Polyanskiy told the council.

Trump in May withdrew from the accord between Iran and six world powers aimed at stalling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities in return for lifting some sanctions. He ordered the reimposition of U.S. sanctions suspended under the deal.

SP/PA