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The Capitol and a stop sign are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
- The world's sole superpower has an unshirkable responsibility to join the rest of the world in making positive contributions to the world's nuclear non-proliferation cause
- But the current U.S. administration has unilaterally pulled out of the hard-won nuclear deal, regardless of strong opposition from other signatories and the fact that Tehran has abided by the accord all along
- Washington's obsession with bullying others will further isolate itself
by Xinhua writer Jiang Li
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Washington, in an attempt to invoke the "snapback" mechanism of the Iran nuclear deal, formally notified the United Nations on Thursday of its demand for restoring all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Tehran.
The White House's latest move defies global consensus on the Iranian nuclear issue, and has once again exposed its nature of a bullying superpower which willfully does whatever it deems fit.
"The U.S. demand has no legal ground and common sense. It is nothing but a political show staged by the United States," a spokesperson of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said on Thursday.
Signs are seen during a rally against war with Iran outside the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
As the world's sole superpower, the United States has an unshirkable responsibility to join the rest of the world in making positive contributions to the world's nuclear non-proliferation cause. Yet the current U.S. administration has unilaterally pulled out of the hard-won nuclear deal, regardless of strong opposition from other signatories and the fact that Tehran has abided by the accord all along.
Washington's capricious moves have not only taken a toll on the common aspiration for a world free from nuclear threats, but also greatly widened America's credibility deficits on the world stage. Yet it seems those decision-makers in Washington do not care.
Washington has already departed from the pact, yet it is shameless and reckless enough to declare that it still enjoys all the rights endowed by the deal, and demand other nations impose punitive measures on Iran, all under the excuse of "standing as an original participant in the accord."
People attend a rally against war with Iran outside the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Washington has also tried to extend its arms embargo against Iran, which is set to expire on Oct. 18, and was rejected by the UN Security Council last Friday. It went further to try to coerce other countries into following its footsteps to throw sanctions on Iran with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowing recently to sanction whoever stands in the way.
In response, China's foreign ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the United States should "earnestly observe Security Council resolutions, fulfill its international obligations, heed the concerns of the international community and respect other countries' legal rights and interests."
In this world of growing global interconnectedness, the best way to protect one country's major interests is to help preserve everyone's shared interests, and the most viable path to dealing with global security challenges such as the Iranian nuclear issue is through broad international collaboration.
Washington's obsession with bullying others with its seemingly unmatched power will only make matters worse and further isolate itself in the international community.
