Profile picture
Reza Nasri @RezaNasri1
, 16 tweets, 4 min read Read on Twitter
Debunking Brian Hook's false narrative on #Iran:

#JCPOA #Irandeal #BrianHook

@HudsonInstitute
1) Hook talked about Iran's "lawless" pursuit of ballistic missiles. The word "lawless" is meaningless in this context. He used it because he cannot use the terms "illegal" or "unlawful" in good conscience. He knows that Iran's missile program is legal under Int'l law.
2) Hook admitted that UNSC Res. 2231 lifted the prohibition on Iran’s missile program. He also admitted that Res. 2231 "superseded" previous Res. 1929 which had instituted the prohibition.
3) He just doesn't bother explaining why the Security Council made the change and unanimously determined that Iran's missile program no longer constituted a threat to international peace and security. He explains the shift in passing by claiming that Iran "lobbied hard" for it.
4) The truth is that the UNSC, as the sole authoritative organ in charge of making such determinations, made this new determination on the ground that absent nuclear warheads, Iran's ballistic missiles would no longer pose a threat to peace or constitute a breach of peace.
5) In other words, absent a nuclear weapons program, Iran's ballistic missiles would fall under the category of "conventional weapons".
6) Hook claims that Iran's pace of missile launches did not diminish after JCPOA implementation. But in making this allegation, he conveniently omits to describe the region's security landscape and the US sales of billions of dollars in military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
7) He wants the audience to believe that Iran's missile activities are linked to the implementation of the JCPOA, not to the hostile security environment in which Iran operates; And certainly not to the "imbalance of power" created by US sales of weapons to Iran's rivals!
8) Hook claims that the JCPOA was a "personal agreement" between two governments, as opposed to a "treaty" which would have presumably engaged two "states". He implies that only agreements ratified by 2/3 of US senate are binding to the next administration.
9) This is wrong too. First, the term "personal agreement" is meaningless. Governments represent "States" in international negotiations. Secondly, the vast majority of US international commitments are Executive agreements, not ratified by the Senate.
10) Third, the JCPOA is not a bilateral agreement between two states (or even governments as Hook claims), it is a multilateral agreement endorsed by the UNSC and annexed to a UNSC resolution.
11) Hook claims that his administration seeks to sign a comprehensive "treaty" with Iran. However, he expects Iran to enter negotiations for a new treaty under duress and coercion, in blatant contravention to international norms governing international treaty law.
12) The truth is that if his administration is seriously looking for a treaty, it should at the least commit to abide by principles governing treaties, one of which being "The Prohibition of the Use of Duress in Treaty Negotiations".
13) But Brian Hook doesn't want to make that commitment. On the contrary, he wants to maximize pressure on Iran so to force the sovereign country into entering a new "treaty!

As if that "colonial-era treaty" would have any validity under Iranian or International law!
14) Brian Hook, like the rest of the Trump administration's foreign-policy team, seems to believe that the world is governed by US domestic laws, not international law; And that the US should act based on their perceived national interests not international rules.
15) And ironically, this teams plans to convene a meeting at the UNSC next week, chaired by Trump himself, to lecture the world on nonproliferation, constitutionalism and sovereignty!
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Reza Nasri
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!

Premium member ($30.00/year)

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!