UN Security Council: Theresa May defends Brexit vote at General Assembly as Trump chairs meeting
US President repeatedly attacks Iran for second time in two days
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Donald Trump has chairing a United Nations Security Council meeting - a first for the US president.
It means that most of the attention that would have been focused on events at the General Assembly - where UK Prime Minister Theresa May would later defend the Brexit vote - was instead focused on the UN's most powerful body, where the US currently holds the rotating presidency.
While the meeting of the council addressed the issue of nonproliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, Mr Trump himself used the platform to attack Iran and accuse China - but not Russia - of meddling in 2018 midterm elections.
On Tuesday, during an unabashedly "America First" speech, Mr Trump said Iranian leaders "sow chaos, death and destruction" and "spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond." His national security adviser, John Bolton, also warned that there would be "hell to pay" if Tehran crossed the US, its allies or their partners.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responded by accusing the Mr Trump administration of violating the rules of international law and "state obligations" by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with the US and five other major powers.
Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal
Show all 10Mr Rouhani did not to attend the Security Council meeting that. The council is populated by five permanent members -- the US, China, Russia, Britain and France -- and 10 other member states, who occupy a council seat for two-year terms. Iran is not among them.
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Ms May has reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the Iran nuclear agreement, in spite of America's decision to pull back form the accord.
"For many years the scale and nature of Iran's nuclear programme raised serious concerns," Ms May said, and noted that the Iran deal has been the best tool to curb those concerns.
Ms May has blamed Russia for preventing the UN Security Council from cracking down on Syria for alleged use of chemical weapons in the country.
Ms May has threatened against the use of chemical or biological weapons again in Syria or elsewhere: "The regime's backers must use their backers to ensure chemical weapons are not used again. For there must be no doubt we will respond quickly and appropriately if they are".
Ms May called Russia "reckless" for deploying nerve gas in Salisburg, England, earlier this year.
She said she is hopeful that Russia will once again combat the use of chemical and biological weapons with other countries on the UN Security Council.
Ms May is urging collective engagement to reenforce international efforts to against the proliferation of chemical or biological weapons.
The comments come just after Mr Trump, who is chairing the panel, urged countries to protect their own citizens and re-acknowledged his "America First" policy to the general counsel.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is up now. He similarly is urging comprehensive action against nuclear proliferation.
Mr Rutte has noted that atomic inspectors have found that Iran has upheld its part of the Iran nuclear agreement, and says his country remains committed to that deal.
Citing Hezbollah, Mr Rutte also said that he is concerned with Iran's behaviour in the Middle East, even if that is beyond the scope of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Mr Rutte reaffirmed his country's confidence in the UK investigation into the Salisbury attack, where the UK says Russia deployed nerve gas in England.
The deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs for Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, is now up. He says that the threat of ballistic missiles is not theoretical anymore, and has condemned the use of weapons of mass destruction anywhere, at any time, and for any party.
Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah recognized that atomic inspectors have found Iran has been complying with the Iran nuclear agreement, but says that Kuwait is concerned with Iran's behaviour in the MIddle East.
He continued to claim that Iran is essentially using Yemen as a staging ground to launch ballistic missiles.
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