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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday announced the Trump administration will terminate a decades-old bilateral treaty with Iran rather than comply with an International Court of Justice order to lift sanctions due to humanitarian concerns. (Photo: The State Department/screenshot)
'The Drums of War Are Beating': ICJ Ruled US Sanctions Violate Treaty With Iran, So Pompeo Just Ditched It
NIAC leader Trita Parsi says the Secretary of State "walking out of it signals that he wants to make sure that disputes with Iran are NOT resolved peacefully."
Oct 03, 2018
This is a breaking story and may be updated...
After the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ruled the Trump administration's sanctions against Iran violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "impetuously" declared at a morning press conference that the United States will terminate the decades-old bilateral agreement rather than comply with the United Nations court's order to ease sanctions.
Critics of the move immediately spoke out and warned of potentially dire consequences.
"The 1955 US-Iran treaty provided a tool for resolving disputes when diplomacy failed," noted Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). "Pompeo walking out of it signals that he wants to make sure that disputes with Iran are NOT resolved peacefully."
The ruling earlier in the day by the Hague-based court had stated U.S. assurances that the sanctions would not negatively impact humanitarian aid and aviation safety "were not adequate." The decision was welcomed by Iran's Foreign Ministry, which condemned the measures as "illegal and cruel."
Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. is canceling the 1955 agreement--similar to the President Donald Trump's decision to ditch the Iran nuclear deal earlier this year and coupled with reports that Pompeo and Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton are actively working to "foment unrest" in Iran--elicited immediate concerns about future engagement with the country.
"The drums of war are beating," journalist Aaron Rupar warned on Twitter.
"As you can see, Article 1 on the Treaty--'There shall be firm and enduring peace and sincere friendship between the United States of America and Iran'--hasn't aged very well over the years," remarked Foreign Policy reporter Robbie Gramer.
During his announcement at the State Department on Wednesday, Pompeo said with a chuckle, "This is a decision, frankly, that is 39 years overdue," an apparent reference to the 1979 Iranian revolution in which the U.S.-backed Shah was overthrown.
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This is a breaking story and may be updated...
After the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ruled the Trump administration's sanctions against Iran violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "impetuously" declared at a morning press conference that the United States will terminate the decades-old bilateral agreement rather than comply with the United Nations court's order to ease sanctions.
Critics of the move immediately spoke out and warned of potentially dire consequences.
"The 1955 US-Iran treaty provided a tool for resolving disputes when diplomacy failed," noted Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). "Pompeo walking out of it signals that he wants to make sure that disputes with Iran are NOT resolved peacefully."
The ruling earlier in the day by the Hague-based court had stated U.S. assurances that the sanctions would not negatively impact humanitarian aid and aviation safety "were not adequate." The decision was welcomed by Iran's Foreign Ministry, which condemned the measures as "illegal and cruel."
Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. is canceling the 1955 agreement--similar to the President Donald Trump's decision to ditch the Iran nuclear deal earlier this year and coupled with reports that Pompeo and Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton are actively working to "foment unrest" in Iran--elicited immediate concerns about future engagement with the country.
"The drums of war are beating," journalist Aaron Rupar warned on Twitter.
"As you can see, Article 1 on the Treaty--'There shall be firm and enduring peace and sincere friendship between the United States of America and Iran'--hasn't aged very well over the years," remarked Foreign Policy reporter Robbie Gramer.
During his announcement at the State Department on Wednesday, Pompeo said with a chuckle, "This is a decision, frankly, that is 39 years overdue," an apparent reference to the 1979 Iranian revolution in which the U.S.-backed Shah was overthrown.
This is a breaking story and may be updated...
After the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ruled the Trump administration's sanctions against Iran violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "impetuously" declared at a morning press conference that the United States will terminate the decades-old bilateral agreement rather than comply with the United Nations court's order to ease sanctions.
Critics of the move immediately spoke out and warned of potentially dire consequences.
"The 1955 US-Iran treaty provided a tool for resolving disputes when diplomacy failed," noted Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). "Pompeo walking out of it signals that he wants to make sure that disputes with Iran are NOT resolved peacefully."
The ruling earlier in the day by the Hague-based court had stated U.S. assurances that the sanctions would not negatively impact humanitarian aid and aviation safety "were not adequate." The decision was welcomed by Iran's Foreign Ministry, which condemned the measures as "illegal and cruel."
Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. is canceling the 1955 agreement--similar to the President Donald Trump's decision to ditch the Iran nuclear deal earlier this year and coupled with reports that Pompeo and Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton are actively working to "foment unrest" in Iran--elicited immediate concerns about future engagement with the country.
"The drums of war are beating," journalist Aaron Rupar warned on Twitter.
"As you can see, Article 1 on the Treaty--'There shall be firm and enduring peace and sincere friendship between the United States of America and Iran'--hasn't aged very well over the years," remarked Foreign Policy reporter Robbie Gramer.
During his announcement at the State Department on Wednesday, Pompeo said with a chuckle, "This is a decision, frankly, that is 39 years overdue," an apparent reference to the 1979 Iranian revolution in which the U.S.-backed Shah was overthrown.
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