The latest move in the “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran – it has largely isolated the US. It comes after the administration failed to extend a conventional weapons ban under the Iran nuclear deal, which expires next month.
“The United States expects all UN member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures. In addition to the arms embargo, it includes sanctions on Iran, including sanctions on prosperity and re-supply activities, and a ban on ballistic missiles. The United States is ready to use our local authorities if UN member states fail to meet their obligations to enforce these sanctions, Pompeo said in a statement. That is, to impose consequences for these failures and to ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN prohibited activity.
Other countries have rejected U.S. arguments that it could re-impose UN sanctions under the Iran nuclear deal because the Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018. They are not expected to recognize snapback restrictions.
“In the coming days, the United States will announce a number of additional measures to strengthen enforcement of sanctions and hold violators accountable,” Pompeo said without elaborating.
In a letter to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, Iran has urged the council to stop any attempt by the United States to impose international sanctions.
“The stated stated objective of the United States is to completely destroy the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and, to that end, its strategy is to create legal confusion by presenting unilateral arbitrary interpretations and pseudo-legal arguments. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that “Rejecting the United States’ continued efforts to abuse the Security Council process would damage the authority and credibility of the Council and the United Nations,” said Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN.
He also responded to the news on Twitter by saying that “UNSC member countries continue to maintain the US is not a participant of the JCPO, so its” snapback “claim is null and void.”
He tweeted, “USPOA is a violation and Reserve 2231 – Swimming against intral currents will only bring more isolation.”
Experts told CNN that the unilateral effort – which comes less than two months before the presidential election – is unlikely to affect arms sales on its own. Some say the move separates the US from its E3 allies – Germany, France and the United Kingdom – and works to advance the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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