10 Ways Iran Has Flouted International Law Since Signing the Nuclear Deal

October 19 was “adoption day,” one of the markers of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in July. It is the date by which Iran says it will voluntary adopt measures governing inspections of its nuclear sites, while the United States and Europe will begin the process of removing nuclear sanctions on Iran. 

Iran has portrayed the agreement as giving international legal legitimacy to its illicit nuclear program. In March, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote that the nuclear deal with Iran would be binding under international law, asserting “that according to international law, Congress may not modify the terms of the agreement at any time as they claim, and if Congress adopts any measure to impede its implementation, it will have committed a material breach of US obligations.”

In recent weeks, Iran has consistently shown its contempt for international law, even as it seeks legitimacy in that same code.

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Benjamin Weinthal and Emanuele Ottolenghi, fellows at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, reported last month that Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline, was flying to Syria to ferry military personnel and weapons to defend Assad. Iran purchased new airplanes for Mahan in May, in violation of sanctions against the airline. It was later reported that the United States had been warned about Mahan’s efforts to buy the planes, but did nothing to stop the purchase.

Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, explained the peril of not forcing Iran to abide by its international obligations in an interview with Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin today. “During the negotiations over the Iran deal, the Obama administration created a dangerous precedent when it caved to Iranian threats to walk away from the table if new sanctions were imposed,” Dubowitz said. “Now the Iranian regime has made it clear in a recent letter to the UNSCR that it will treat the imposition of any sanctions, whether nuclear or not, as grounds to walk away from the JCPOA. If the administration does not enforce UNSCR 1929, the resolution that explicitly forbids the recent missile test, this will only embolden the regime that it can act with absolute impunity. It is long past the time for the administration to show resolve that violations have real consequence.”

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