Iran Press/ America: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, whose country holds the 15-nation organ’s rotating presidency for August, was responding to a question on Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles at a press conference on Tuesday.
She said that the use of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles is a violation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015).
"The United States has asked the United Nations for an investigation, particularly as it relates to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Anyplace else where unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran are being used should be condemned and be part of an investigation," added the US diplomat.
The Western countries, led by the United States, have repeatedly accused Iran of selling its drones to Russia for use against Ukraine, but Tehran has always denied these claims.
On 18 October 2022, the US State Department accused Iran of violating Resolution 2231 by selling Shahed 131 and Shahed 136 drones to Russia.
On 22 October 2022, France, Britain, and Germany also formally called for an investigation by the UN team responsible for UNSCR 2231.
Responding to these accusations, Iran's ambassador to the UN wrote to the UNSC on 19 October and 24 October 2022 that this was an erroneous interpretation of paragraph 4 of annex B of the resolution, which clearly states it applies to items that "could contribute to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems", which these drones could not.
On 26 October, the procedural matter of if a group of member states could request the Secretariat to conduct an investigation rather than the Security Council as a whole deciding the matter was discussed at a meeting of the UNSC, with the United Nations Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares stating that United Nations Secretary-General and Secretariat staff "must not seek or receive instructions from any Government" but can take note of information brought to its attention.
White House-style justifications
US President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions in their ongoing conflict with Russian Military Forces.
The US officials are using similar justifications to those employed during the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They acknowledge that deploying cluster munitions raises the possibility of harm to civilians, yet argue that more civilian lives would be endangered if Russia were permitted to take control of Ukrainian territories.
Canisters, known as cluster munitions or cluster bombs, contain numerous smaller bomblets, also called submunitions. These canisters can be released from aircraft, launched from missiles, or fired from artillery, naval guns, or rocket launchers. Upon reaching a specific height, the canisters split open and released the bomblets, which spread out over the intended target area. These bomblets are timed to explode on or close to the ground.
According to experts, cluster munitions often result in the loss of innocent lives. Furthermore, certain smaller munitions may remain unexploded and threaten civilians for an extended period. Opponents of cluster bombs argue that it is morally wrong to use them, as some of the smaller bombs behave like mines and fail to detonate.
During the 33-day war in 2006, the Zionist regime dropped about four million cluster bombs on Lebanon, which killed tens of people and injured hundreds more. Considering the consequences of using cluster munitions, 108 countries have stopped using them. They have declared a ban.
More than 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. But the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was created to address the devastating impact of cluster munitions on civilians. All participating states are fully committed to universalizing the Convention and promoting its principles. Implementing this Convention is crucial in advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and promoting international peace, security, human rights, and humanitarian law. According to the Universalization Status: 123 Status, 111 States, Parties, and 12 Signatories have committed to the goals of the Convention.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was established on May 30th, 2008, signed on December 3rd, 2008, and took effect on August 1st, 2010. This global agreement involves over 100 nations and prohibits the utilization, production, transfer, and storage of cluster munitions.
U.N. human rights office spokesperson Marta Hurtado said, "The use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place."
The International Red Cross said cluster munitions "cause significant numbers of preventable civilian casualties."
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