TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Friday that the U.S. once again demonstrated its “coercive and arrogant nature” by hindering Iran to host the International Maritime Organization (IMO) conference, IRNA reported.

Strongly condemning the U.S. move, Kanaani said the American move, with a support by Britian, showed that there are no limits to the political exploitation of technical and specialized institutions of the United Nations by Washington, even if it lessens the international credibility of these organizations.

“The U.S. once again demonstrated its coercive and arrogant nature by hindering Iran's hosting of the annual meeting of the World Maritime Day,” he said, adding that the annual meeting of the World Maritime Day was approved by the IMO in London in 2014, and was also approved by the General Assembly of this United Nations-affiliated organization.

Referring to ignoring the majority votes of the IMO by the U.S., the Iranian diplomat noted that this action faced strong opposition from many council members who voted against or abstained from the proposal, emphasizing that ignoring the organization's previous decisions would undermine its credibility.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government wants to cover up its illegal and unjustified attempts by resorting to lies, accusations, and false statements, he highlighted.

He emphasized that Iran, as a member of the IMO, has always acted actively and responsibly in international shipping and acts according to international obligations.