WarSclerotic

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on ‎Wednesday warned ‎that not only is Iran not ‎dismantling its nuclear program, it is increasingly ‎pursuing the development of nuclear weapons and ‎‎continues to threaten international peace and ‎‎security. ‎

Speaking with reporters, Bolton called Iran a “rogue ‎regime” and “a particular ‎threat in the volatile ‎Middle East.” ‎

He noted that ‎the U.S. is pulling out of a decades-old treaty with ‎Iran that affirmed friendly ‎relations between the ‎two nations.‎

Video: Reuters

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it ‎was withdrawing from two international agreements ‎after Iran and the Palestinians complained to the ‎International Court of Justice about U.S. policies.‎

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the ‎principal judicial body of the United Nations. It ‎settles legal disputes between member states and its ‎rulings are binding. ‎

On Wednesday, the court ordered the U.S. to partially ‎lift the sanctions it imposed on Iran and ensure ‎they do not affect the humanitarian aid delivered to ‎the Islamic republic or its civil aviation ‎safety.‎

Although largely symbolic, the U.S.’s decision to ‎withdraw from the ‎1955 Treaty of Amity highlights ‎the deteriorating relations between Washington and ‎Tehran.‎

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday ‎that withdrawing from the accord was long overdue ‎and followed Iran “groundlessly” bringing a ‎complaint with the ICJ, which challenged U.S. ‎sanctions on the basis that they were a violation of ‎the pact.‎

Pompeo denounced the Iranian case before ‎the U.N. ‎court as “meritless” and said the Treaty of ‎Amity ‎was meaningless and absurd.‎

‎”The Iranians have been ignoring it for an awfully ‎‎long time, we ought to have pulled out of it decades ‎‎ago,” he said.‎

Pompeo said the ruling was a “useful point for us to ‎‎demonstrate the absolute absurdity” of the treaty.‎

While the ICJ’s ruling is legally binding, Pompeo said ‎‎the administration would proceed with sanctions ‎‎enforcement with existing exceptions for ‎‎humanitarian and flight safety transactions.‎

‎”The United States has been actively engaged on ‎‎these issues without regard to any proceeding before ‎‎the ICJ,” he said.‎

At the same time, he criticized the ruling, saying, ‎‎”We’re disappointed that the court failed to ‎‎recognize that it has no jurisdiction to issue any ‎‎order relating to these sanctions with the ‎‎United States.”‎

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ‎‎praised the court’s ruling, saying that it ‎was ‎‎”another failure for sanctions-addicted” U.S. ‎and a ‎‎”victory for the rule of law.” ‎

He said it was ‎imperative for other countries “to ‎collectively ‎counter malign U.S. unilateralism” and ‎accused the ‎U.S. of being an “outlaw regime.”‎

Citing what he called “Iran’s abuse of the ICJ,” ‎‎Bolton later said the United States would also ‎withdraw ‎from the “optional protocol” under the 1961 ‎Vienna ‎Convention of Diplomatic Relations that Iran ‎or others, notably the Palestinians, could use to ‎sue the U.S. at The Hague-based tribunal.‎

‎”We will commence a review of all international ‎‎agreements that may still expose the United States ‎‎to purported binding jurisdiction, dispute ‎‎resolution in the International Court of Justice. ‎The United States will not sit idly by as baseless ‎politicized claims are brought against us,” Bolton ‎said.

He cited a case brought to the court by the ‎‎”so-called state of Palestine” challenging the move ‎of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to ‎Jerusalem as the main reason for withdrawing.‎

Bolton, who last month unleashed a torrent of ‎criticism against the International Criminal Court, ‎noted that previous Republican administrations had ‎pulled out of various international agreements and ‎bodies over “politicized cases.” ‎

‎”This really has less to do with Iran and the ‎Palestinians than with the continued consistent ‎policy of the United States to reject the ‎jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, ‎which we think is politicized and ineffective,” ‎Bolton said.‎

‎”I’d like to stress,” he added, “the United States ‎remains a party to the underlying Vienna Convention ‎on Diplomatic Relations and we expect all other ‎parties to abide by their international obligations ‎under the convention.”‎