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Tehran, Iran – The United States broke with all other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and unilaterally declared the reimposition of all UN sanctions against Iran, a claim rejected by Iran and the international community, including Washington’s close allies, for having no basis.
In a statement Sunday after the expiration of a deadline set by the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened “consequences” for any UN member state that does not comply with the punitive measures, which were lifted under a nuclear deal. history that was signed. between six world powers and Iran in 2015, but was abandoned by the United States more than two years ago.
In addition to adhering to a conventional arms embargo that is set to expire next month, Pompeo said member states must comply with restrictions such as a ban on Iran from engaging in nuclear enrichment and reprocessing activities; a ban on testing and developing ballistic missiles; and sanctions on the transfer of nuclear and missile-related technologies.
“If UN member states fail to meet their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our national authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of activities prohibited by the UN.” Pompeo said.
.@SecPompeoIn accordance with our rights under Resolution 2231, the United States began the rollback process to restore virtually all previously lifted UN sanctions, including the embargo. As a result, the world will be safer. https://t.co/Yg8SC0mp9j
– State Department (@StateDept) September 20, 2020
His statement came a month after the United States officially unleashed the process aimed at restoring all UN sanctions on Iran, alleging major Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the 2015 agreement that was backed by the Security Council. .
Despite the United States withdrawing from the accord in May 2018 and reimposing crippling sanctions on Iran, Washington argues that it technically remains a “participant” and could unleash the so-called “pushback.” This was a mechanism devised by the US negotiating team prior to the signing of the JCPOA that stipulated that if Iran breached its commitments, all international sanctions could return to place.
However, the international community, including the other four permanent members of the Security Council, insist that the United States no longer has the legal capacity to impose any changes since announcing its departure from what Trump has described as “the worst agreement in the United States. the story “with a presidential memorandum titled Ceasing America’s Participation in the JCPOA.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation directly in a live televised cabinet meeting on Sunday. He congratulated world powers since US pressure to re-establish UN sanctions “has reached its final point of failure.”
Today, he said, “will be a memorable day in the history of our country’s diplomacy.”
Rouhani added that if the United States tries to “intimidate” others into adhering to its declaration of reinstating UN sanctions, Iran will have a “decisive response” to match.
Noting how the United States tried to gain support from other signatories to the nuclear deal following its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Rouhani said the United States expected Iran to act irrationally, giving it an excuse to form an international coalition against the Islamic Republic. .
“Today we can say that the ‘maximum pressure’ of the United States against the Iranian nation, politically and legally, has become ‘maximum isolation’ for the United States.”
The president also addressed the remaining five signatories to the nuclear deal, reiterating the promise that if they fully adhere to their commitments under the deal, Iran will also fully honor its commitments.
Exactly one year after the United States abandoned the nuclear deal, Iran began gradually reducing its commitments, including those related to its enriched uranium stocks. Iran still continues to grant access to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a letter to the Security Council, the agreement’s European signatories – Britain, France and Germany, or E3 – emphasized that relief from UN sanctions on Iran would continue, adding that any decision or action to reimpose them “will not it would have legal effect “.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also told the council that he would not take any action on the US statement because “there appears to be uncertainty as to whether or not any process was initiated.”
On Sunday morning, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters that the United States is going through some of its “bitterest” times as it has chosen to remain “on the wrong side of the world. history”.
“Tehran’s message to Washington is clear: Go back to the international community. Go back to your commitments. Stop this rebellious and rebellious behavior. The international community will accept it,” Khatibzadeh said.
Transatlantic rift
According to Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), there are clear reasons why European powers, as well as Russia and China, are opposing the American demand.
“First, it would pave the way for a greater arbitrary interpretation of international treaties by Washington, which will one day come back to haunt Europeans themselves,” Azizi told Al Jazeera.
“Second, Iran’s reaction to the return of sanctions would be to abandon the JCPOA or even the NPT,” he added, referring to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that pursues nuclear disarmament.
As for why the United States would embark on such a move based on shaky legal arguments, Azizi says its aim is political.
“He wants to keep Iran in the international spotlight, and continue to present the Islamic Republic as a threat to international peace and security,” he said, adding that the United States also wants Europeans to be more cautious in dealing with Iran. .
According to Azizi, the snapback showdown is the latest and most obvious sign of a breakdown in transatlantic relations.
“Especially if Trump is re-elected as president of the United States, this will fuel further disagreements between the EU and the United States,” he said, noting that Russia and China could seize the opportunity to expand their influence in Iran and the country. wider region.
Arms embargo
The US attempt to activate the rollback mechanism came on the heels of another demand it made to the Security Council that isolated it.
In mid-August, the council flatly rejected a US offer to extend a global arms embargo on Iran that expires on October 18 under the JCPOA.
Washington only managed to secure the support of the Dominican Republic for its proposed resolution to extend the embargo indefinitely, leaving it well below the minimum of nine “Yes” votes required for its adoption. Eleven members abstained while China and Russia opposed the resolution.
Last week, Pompeo reiterated during a briefing with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that the United States will take steps to reinstate UN sanctions to make the arms embargo permanent.
The United States “will do its part as part of its responsibilities to enable peace, this time in the Middle East,” he said.
Zarif tweeted on Thursday, saying “nothing new happens on 9/20”. He also alluded to two recent opinion pieces by John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, who had noted that the dispute resolution clauses of the nuclear deal are “complex and potentially lengthy” to avoid confrontations with the UNSC.
Citing unidentified sources, the Reuters news agency reported on Friday that Trump plans to issue an executive order in the coming days to impose secondary sanctions on anyone who buys or sells weapons from Iran, depriving them of access to the US market.
Increasing tensions
The culmination of the snapback showdown comes shortly after a new round of threatening rhetoric was exchanged between longtime enemies, the United States and Iran.
On September 13, the US-based news outlet Politico published a report, citing anonymous officials, that the Iranian government is considering an assassination attempt against Lana Marks, the US ambassador to South Africa.
The plot, according to the report, would be carried out in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in early January.
In a tweet, Trump, who is seeking reelection on November 3, said the United States will retaliate with “1,000 times greater force” against any Iranian attack on its interests.
In response, Iran warned the United States not to make “a new strategic mistake” by believing false reports and warned of a “decisive response.”
On Saturday, the head of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stern warning directed directly at Trump, saying that Soleimani’s assassination will be avenged, but that Marks is not a proportionate target.
“We will target those who were directly or indirectly involved in the martyrdom of this great man,” said Major General Hossein Salami.
On Friday, South Africa’s State Security Agency said in a statement that there is insufficient evidence to support the allegation of a plot to assassinate Marks.
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