GENEVA, 06 August 2021, (TON):  Great Britain intends to raise the issue of the situation around the tanker Mercer Street in the UN Security Council, but its discussion will be non-public, and the adoption of any documents on this matter is not planned. A diplomatic source told media.

The source said “the UK really intends to raise this issue in a closed format.”

The next meeting of the UN Security Council will be held, August 6, at 17.00 Moscow time. Its main topic is expected to be the situation in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of US troops.

Traditionally, in the closed part of the meeting, time is allotted for discussion of issues not previously put on the agenda. Any member of the UN Security Council can take the initiative to consider a specific situation that may threaten international peace and security.

The discussion in this format does not entail any obligations and is not accompanied by the adoption of common documents, although the initiator of the discussion and the countries that have joined it can make a separate statement.

Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, said earlier that the situation around the Mercer Street tanker needs more careful study and opposed hasty conclusions.

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said that the United Kingdom, along with Romania and Liberia, has approached UN Security Council President TS Tirumurti, raising the issue of the attack on Mercer Street.

London says the Security Council must respond to Iran’s “destabilizing actions and its disregard for international law.”