Iran condemns Japan as ‘pro-US stooge’
Indonesia will soon be ending its term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, opening a slot reserved for an Asian country. Japan is aiming for the position, and so is Iran:
Mohamed Khaza’e, Tehran’s top envoy at the UN, was dismissive of Japan’s pitch for what would be its 10th two-year stint on the council. Last week he told state-run Iranian radio that Tokyo “does not play a significant role in international and political affairs” and should step aside.
He noted that some 140 nations have either never sat on the Security Council, or have been a member just once – as Iran was under the Shah in 1955-56, more than two decades before the country’s Islamic revolution.
In the increasingly bitter battle before the whole UN General Assembly votes in mid-October on the replacement for Indonesia, Iranian diplomats have been quietly briefing that Japan is merely a stooge of the US.
Japan contributes more financial assistance to the United Nations than almost every country in the world. The Japanese government is hoping that their financial power and their much cleaner human rights record will help them overcome the Iranian challenge.
