United Nations: The United States renewed its offer to engage in talks with Iran on Thursday but warned it will do everything in its power ``to curb malign Iranian behavior’’ if Tehran continues to destabilize the Middle East.
The U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, Kelly Craft, said the Trump administration also ``rejects Iran’s use of nuclear brinkmanship to normalize its destabilizing behavior.’’
She commented at a U.N. Security Council meeting on implementation of a resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and key world powers.
The U.N. political chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council that tensions in the region ``have worryingly escalated’’ during 2019.
``We witnessed attacks against oil tankers, strikes against a civilian airport, and a highly sophisticated and synchronized attack against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia,’’ she said. ``Combined with acrimonious rhetoric, these developments have dangerously brought the region closer to a serious confrontation.’’
DiCarlo warned that ``such an eventuality would be devastating and must be prevented at all costs.’’
The meeting followed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent report saying the United Nations has not been able to independently corroborate that cruise missiles and drones used in attacks earlier this year on an airport and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia ``are of Iranian origin’’ _ or were transferred from Iran ``in a manner inconsistent’’ with the 2015 U.N. resolution.
DiCarlo reiterated that finding, saying the U.N. is still collecting and analyzing additional information on the drones and cruise missiles.
