State Department officials said Wednesday that it would push for U.S. sanctions against Iran, and impose sanctions on anyone violating the UN arms embargo – ending next month under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Elliott Abrams, the US special envoy for Venezuela and Iran, said that an attempt to engage in an arms deal with Iran could provoke a strong reaction from the international community, as the Middle East country is believed by US security officials to be a nuclear power. Weapons are evolving.
Iran has denied any involvement in the development of its nuclear arsenal.
Part of the countries claiming Iran nuclear deal is the U.S.
“It is time for peaceful nations to recognize this reality and join us in imposing sanctions on Iran,” Abram said in a press conference before claiming that other members of the UN Security Council would join in imposing sanctions.
“It is surprising that anyone would have thought or understood how to destabilize Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon and continue to support the regime’s role and terrorism, to allow the arms embargo on Iran to end next month.”
But Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – the other permanent members of the UN Security Council – have explicitly denied the US ability to enforce unilateral snapbacks after the arms embargo was imposed on October 18.
Germany, France and the UK said in a joint statement last month that “the position regarding the effectiveness of the US notification in pursuance of Resolution 2231 has been made very clear to the presidency and to all members of the UNSC.” “Therefore, we cannot support this action, which is inconsistent with our current efforts to support JCPoA.”
The UNSC determined that after President Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the United States lost the ability to impose conditions on Iran’s nuclear disarmament strategy.
Pompeo on Iran: U.N. In retaliation for the actions of the U.S. ‘We will do everything we need to do’.
But when a journalist was asked today if the international community had denied his legitimacy to impose sanctions, the U.S. Asked why he was pushing for sanctions, Abram said he was confident other member states would see the need for immediate sanctions.
“It’s like pulling the trigger and no bullet coming out,” a senior UN Security Council diplomat told Reuters after the State Department’s announcement Wednesday. “There will be no snapbacks, sanctions will be suspended, the JCPO (Nuclear Agreement) will be in place.”
During a press conference early Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stood by UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb, and said the US would “do everything we can” to ensure that sanctions on Iran are changed.
Although Rabe did not directly say he supported U.S. calls for Tehran to approve, he did raise his voice in support of the expiring JCPO agreement.
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“We also share US concerns over the nuclear issue of Iran and the Iranian threat, but we are also conducting large-scale volatile activities in the region,” Rabe said.
Ibrahim said he was working on “concrete plans” on how to implement the sanctions, but added that the State Department would return to the UN in the near future to announce plans to implement the sanctions.
Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
