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The US has stated that all international sanctions against Iran have been restored even though the rest of the world has vowed to ignore the measure.
The Donald Trump administration said late Saturday that the activation of the so-called “rollback” mechanism in the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal had gone into effect.
It comes 30 days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the council that Iran was in “significant breach” of its obligations under the agreement.
The mechanism would mean that international sanctions softened or lifted under the nuclear deal are re-imposed and must be enforced by the UN member states.
Practically all @A Sanctions have returned to Iran, the main state sponsor of terrorism and anti-Semitism. This includes a permanent extension of the arms embargo. This is great news for peace in the region!
– Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 20, 2020
However, other council members say Washington lost the legal ability to invoke it after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal and reimposed US sanctions on Iran.
In a statement, Pompeo said “the world will be safer as a result” of the US decision.
Iran rejected the US move. Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said: “Tehran’s message to Washington is clear: go back to the international community, return to your commitments and stop intimidating the international community to accept it.”
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The White House plans to issue an executive order Monday detailing how it will enforce the restored sanctions, and the State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals and businesses will be penalized for the violations.
Trump administration officials have been attacking the 2015 nuclear deal for years. They say it has fatal flaws because certain restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity are gradually expiring and will allow the country to eventually develop atomic weapons.
Washington’s immediate concern has been the indefinite extension of the arms embargo that would otherwise expire on October 18. The Security Council rejected a US effort to extend the embargo in a lopsided vote that saw Washington win the support of only one country, the Dominican Republic.
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