Asked by journalists about the media reports that Iran has lost a bid to win a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday that Iran had not basically applied for non-permanent membership.
The spokesman made it clear that Iran has not made any application for the UNSC non-permanent membership for the 2022-23 term, saying the United Arab Emirates has been the only Asian state to seek a nomination.
“Considering that the non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected by secret ballot and physically (with ballots), the intent of the state that has secretly voted for the Islamic Republic of Iran is not clear. However, it is not unlikely that such a measure has been taken with rogue purposes,” he added.
The spokesman also noted that Iran has voted for the UAE in the process of election of the UNSC non-permanent members, saying such stance has been declared in Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s letter to his Emirati counterpart.
Khatibzadeh explained that such incidents have not been unprecedented, for instance, Peru has won a vote while Brazil was the only candidate in the Latin American group for the UNSC non-permanent membership. “Congo had withdrawn (from candidacy) before the voting, however, three states have voted for it.”