An open letter signed last week by 72 congressmen is calling on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to demand that Iran be removed from serving as the chair of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament.

The bipartisan letter – coauthored by Peter Roskam (R-IL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Gary Peters (D-MI), and co-signed by the chair and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – takes note of Iran’s “continued pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability” as one core reason why Tehran ought to be disqualified from presiding over a body dedicated to preventing the pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities.

Iranian media outlets bragged about the appointment when it was announced two weeks ago, which came just after negotiators made zero progress in talks with Iran, and amid revelations that Iran is locking in advanced nuclear infrastructure.

The Conference on Disarmament is arguably the world’s most important disarmament negotiating forum. Iran’s leadership of the body is difficult to reconcile with its current role in shredding global nonproliferation regimes. Tehran is also currently in open violation of four U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding an end to Tehran’s illicit nuclear activities, and its appointment as chair risks further entrenching analyst perceptions that “there are no in-house penalties for being under [U.N.] sanctions or for violating them.” The U.N. system allows for Iran to be elected to committees because decisions are based on simply majority in regional voting blocs.

Roskam described the spectacle in harsh language:

“In what parallel universe could Iran — a world leader in weapons proliferation and terror financing — be taken seriously leading the charge for nuclear disarmament?” asked Peter Roskam… Roskam called Iran’s chairmanship “an insult to those committed to global nonproliferation efforts.”

The letter also calls attention to Iran’s human rights record. The U.N.’s own rapporteur on human rights regularly decries Iranian human rights violations, which include systems of gender segregation and the execution of children. Iran sits on the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and on the executive board of the U.N.’s children’s agency.

[Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr]