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Yet 13 of the 15 UN Security Council member states, which include longtime US allies, say Washington’s move is invalid. Diplomats say only a few countries are likely to reimpose the measures that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers in order to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
“The return of sanctions today is a step toward international peace and security. In the coming days, the United States will announce a set of additional measures to strengthen the application of United Nations sanctions and hold violators accountable,” said the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement.
Here’s a look at the events that led up to this confrontation and what could happen next.
Why will the arms embargo on Iran end?
The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Iran in 2007.
The ban will expire on October 18 under the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France and the United States. The deal bans Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement was included in a Security Council resolution in 2015.
What does this mean for the 2015 nuclear deal?
The parties that remained involved in the nuclear deal said they were committed to preserving it. Iran has said the agreement will remain in force despite the United States’ decision at the United Nations.
Britain, France and Germany indicated to the UN Security Council on Friday that Iran’s exemption from UN sanctions will continue beyond September 20.
Envoys from the three European parties wrote in a letter to the Council, which was seen by Reuters: “We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear deal and we remain committed to that.”
The return of the UN sanctions would force Iran to suspend all activities related to enrichment and reprocessing, including research and development, and would prohibit the importation of anything that could contribute to those activities or the development of delivery systems of nuclear weapons.
It will also include reimposing an arms embargo on Iran, preventing it from developing ballistic missiles capable of launching nuclear weapons, and resuming targeted sanctions against dozens of people and entities. Countries will also be urged to examine shipments to and from Iran and allow them to seize any prohibited shipments.
What led things to that conclusion?
The United States filed a complaint with the UN Security Council about Iran’s violation of the nuclear deal last month.
Since the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal, Washington has imposed strong unilateral sanctions in an attempt to force Iran to re-negotiate a new deal, and in response, Iran has violated basic restrictions imposed by the deal, including its reservation of enriched uranium.
The United States says that in accordance with a 2015 UN Security Council resolution that includes the nuclear deal in its system, it has activated a 30-day process to reimpose all UN sanctions on Iran. Washington believes that despite its withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the resolution still considers it a participating country.
And the Security Council was required to vote within 30 days on a resolution to continue to reduce the sanctions imposed on Iran. Unless such a resolution is adopted before the deadline, all UN sanctions that were in place before the 2015 nuclear deal will be automatically reimposed. This decision was not put to a vote.
Last month, Indonesia, which chaired the UN Security Council for the month of August, indicated that it was “not in a position to take further action” regarding the US attempt to trigger the return of all sanctions on organizations against Iran because the issue is not unanimous within the council.
Thirteen of the 15 countries on the Security Council say they oppose Washington’s measures, considering them invalid, given that they are using a process within the nuclear agreement to which they are no longer party.
Pompeo warned on Saturday, saying: “If the member states of the United Nations do not comply with their obligations to impose these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use its internal powers to impose consequences for these failures.”
What will the United States do now?
Sources told Reuters that Trump intends to issue an executive order allowing him to impose sanctions on anyone who violates the United Nations ‘conventional arms embargo on Iran in an attempt to reinforce the United States’ insistence that the move it has been extended indefinitely beyond October 18.
On Thursday, the sources, who requested anonymity, said an executive order is expected to be issued in the coming days and that it will allow the president to punish foreign offenders, as US entities are already banned from conducting arms-related deals with Iran and deny them access to the US market.
How would an administration led by Democrat Joe Biden deal with Iran?
Three prominent Iranian officials said, “Reuters,” that their country’s leadership is determined to remain committed to the nuclear deal in the hope that the victory of Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden in the US presidential election on May 3. November, I can save the deal.
Biden, who was Obama’s deputy at the time the nuclear deal was negotiated, said he would return his country as part of it if Iran returned first to comply with all its provisions.
“If Iran strictly adheres to the nuclear deal again, the United States will come back to join the deal and build on it while working with its allies to counter Iran’s destabilizing actions,” said Biden’s campaign spokesman Andrew Bates.
