French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrive for a meeting at United Nations headquarters – Copyright AFP ANGELA WEISS
France said on Monday that Iran must be ready to make “big concessions” to end a crisis, as countries piled pressure on Tehran at a UN session over its control of the key Strait of Hormuz.
“There can be no lasting solution to this crisis unless the Iranian regime accepts major concessions and a radical change in its stance,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the UN Security Council.
Barrot said Iran must show a path “for peaceful coexistence within its region and for the Iranian people to be able to freely build their future”, months after the cleric-led state ruthlessly cracked down on mass protests.
Barrot was attending a session initiated by Bahrain in which dozens of countries made a joint call for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf and one-fifth of the world’s oil.
In response to the attack, Iran has moved to exert control over the strait, saying it is setting up a payment system, defying warnings from US President Donald Trump, who has watched with anger as global oil prices rise.
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said Iran’s placement of mines violates international law.
“The indiscriminate placement of mines in international waterways — that makes Iran an international criminal pirate of the straits,” Waltz said.
“Tehran admits these crimes but is so incompetent that it also admits it doesn’t know where the mines are.”
– Iran demands “guarantees” –
Iran’s envoy, speaking hours later at the one-day session, noted that Iran, like the United States, was not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Iran needed “credible guarantees” that it would not be attacked again before it could ensure “enduring stability and security in the Persian Gulf” and beyond.
“The United States is acting as pirates and terrorists, targeting merchant ships through coercion and intimidation, terrorizing their crews, illegally seizing ships and taking crew members hostage,” Iravani said.
“But none of those who have expressed their concern about international shipping dare refer to or condemn this terrorist act at today’s meeting.”
The Trump administration itself often denounces international law and institutions when US actions come under scrutiny.
Trump has also criticized NATO allies for not helping the United States in the war, which he did not consult with them about beforehand, although he has also insisted that the United States does not need help.
But Waltz told the Security Council: “Now is the time for a coalition of like-minded partners to step up and step in with real capacity and assistance.”
Barrot, while denouncing Iran’s actions, did not shy away from blaming the United States and Israel, saying they launched the war “without a clearly defined goal and outside international law.”
“But the Iranian regime bears overwhelming responsibility for this situation,” he said, noting its “stubbornness” in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its “continued support for terrorist groups.”
