On February 4, local time, US President Trump signed an executive order announcing that the United States would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council again and prohibit future funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, but there is no clear news that Trump has restarted “maximum pressure” on Iran. The relevant situation about Trump’s order to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council is as follows:

Historical background: In 2018, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that the United States would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, saying that the United Nations Human Rights Council was “biased” against Israel and “unable to effectively protect human rights.” In February 2021, then-US Secretary of State Blinken issued a statement saying that the United States would return to the United Nations Human Rights Council as an observer.

Current situation: This time, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council again, which seems to have ended all US participation in the activities of the Human Rights Council, including the review of human rights records and specific allegations of human rights violations. Some people believe that the Trump administration’s attempt to link the legitimacy of international organizations with their bank accounts is essentially a blatant trampling on the international governance system.

Potential impact: As an important member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the withdrawal of the United States may weaken the organization’s influence and authority in global human rights supervision and protection. Cutting off financial support to UNRWA could make life even more difficult for Palestinian refugees and exacerbate the complexity of regional issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.