US President Donald Trump has urged other members of the UN Security Council to work with America to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear bomb.
Chairing a session on weapons of mass destruction, he defended re-imposing sanctions on Iran because of its “malign conduct”.
He accused Iran and Russia of “enabling” “butchery” in Syria.
However he also thanked all three countries for pulling back from an offensive against rebels in Idlib.
The US president is in the Security Council chair on Wednesday because America currently holds the rotating presidency.
US-Iran relations have been sour for decades and Mr Trump has rarely lost an opportunity to criticise Tehran.
“I ask all members of the Security Council to work with the United States to ensure the Iranian regime changes its behaviour and never acquires a nuclear bomb,” he said.
The US recently imposed sanctions after leaving the 2015 nuclear deal agreed between Iran and world powers. The move has exposed divisions between the US and its European allies.
At a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before Wednesday’s session, Mr Trump said he thought a two-state solution was the best option for Israel and the Palestinians.
He added that it was a “dream” for him to unveil a peace plan by the end of his first term.
The Trump administration has previously said it will support a two-state solution if both parties agree to it, BBC reported.
Macron: US withdrawal from Iran deal resulted in a serious crisis
French President Emanuel Macron on Wednesday said that a “serious crisis of confidence” has emerged after US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
In his message before the UN Security Council, Macron said that while the 2015 deal is “imperfect”, it ensures that Iran would not be able to obtain nuclear weapons.
Since the deal was signed, the “pathways of the signatories of the JCPOA have diverged…but we still, all of us here, retain the same objective of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and guaranteeing strict international control on the peaceful use of their nuclear programme”, Al Jazeera reported.
May called Russia reckless
Prime Minister Theresa May has praised international efforts to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles, and to reduce biological weapons. But those gains are threatened, she said.
“But the last 18 months have seen these hard won gains challenged. We have seen chemical weapons use din Syria, Malaysia, and the UK,” she said.
“If we do not increase our collective efforts to preserve and build on what we have there is a very real risk these gains will subside or fall away,” she continued.
Ms May has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the Iran nuclear agreement, in spite of America’s decision to pull back form the accord.
“For many years the scale and nature of Iran’s nuclear programme raised serious concerns,” Ms May said, and noted that the Iran deal has been the best tool to curb those concerns.
Ms May says that the UN Security Council needs to be more aggressive to deter the spread of weapons of mass destruction. She has blamed Russia for thwarting efforts to be more aggressive, too.
Ms May has blamed Russia for preventing the UN Security Council from cracking down on Syria for alleged use of chemical weapons in the country.
Ms May called Russia “reckless” for deploying nerve gas in Salisburg, England, earlier this year.
She said she is hopeful that Russia will once again combat the use of chemical and biological weapons with other countries on the UN Security Council.
Rutte: Urging comprehensive action against nuclear proliferation
Mr Rutte reaffirmed his country’s confidence in the UK investigation into the Salisbury attack, where the UK says Russia deployed nerve gas in England.
Mr Rutte has noted that atomic inspectors have found that Iran has upheld its part of the Iran nuclear agreement, and says his country remains committed to that deal.
Mr Rutte also said that he is concerned with Iran’s behaviour in the Middle East, even if that is beyond the scope of the Iran nuclear agreement.
He similarly is urging comprehensive action against nuclear proliferation.
Al-Sabah :Kuwait is concerned with Iran’s behaviour
Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah recognized that atomic inspectors have found Iran has been complying with the Iran nuclear agreement, but says that Kuwait is concerned with Iran’s behaviour in the Middle East.
He continued to claim that Iran is essentially using Yemen as a staging ground to launch ballistic missiles.
The deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs for Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, is now up. He says that the threat of ballistic missiles is not theoretical anymore, and has condemned the use of weapons of mass destruction anywhere, at any time, and for any party.
Wang Yi is urging the security council to seek peace
Chinese Miniser of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi is urging the security council to seek peace, and to no be solely concerned with geopolitical matters.
Like everyone else on the panel today, of course, Mr Wang says that China is worried about weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Wang says that every member of the UN security council needs to do its part with the nonproliferation treaty, and to shoulder their fair share of the burden to reduce nuclear proliferation in the world.
Mr Wang noted that there are not perfect international agreements, but said that the Iran nuclear agreement is doing its job.
He continued to say that trade and business deals made in the wake of the Iran deal should be respected.
Mr Wang says that China supports the understandings between the North Koreans and Americans during the Singapore summit earlier this year.
“We call on all our partners to seize the political opportunities to work for action,” Mr Wang said.
Lavrov criticized the United States frequently
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that the “unilateral withdrawal of the United States” from the Iran nuclear agreement poses “serious threats”.
“Russia is convinced we need to keep the” Iran nuclear agreement, he said. He added that not doing so could lead to destabilization in the region.
Mr Lavrov has criticized the United States frequently, and has said that “certain western countries” have accused Syria of using chemical weapons, but Mr Lavrov says that Syria destroyed their chemical weapons.
He continued to blame any use of chemical weapons use in Syria on “terrorist” groups, and insists that the Syrian government has not used such chemical weapons.
Mr Lavrov has criticised the UK, saying that Russia has offered to help investigate the nerve gas attack in Salisbury earlier this year, but that the UK government has refused.
The UK has found Russia to blame in its own investigation.
“If they do not want to cooperate, does this mean they have something to hide?” Mr Lavrov asked, The Guardian reported.