World Countries Ignore U.S. Move
Blank Trigger of Snapback Against Iran
UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- Britain, France and Germany have told the UN Security Council that UN sanctions relief for Iran - agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal - would continue beyond Sept. 20, when the United States asserts that all the measures should be reimposed.
In a letter to the 15-member body, cited by Reuters, the three European parties to the nuclear deal and long-time U.S. allies said any decision or action taken to reimpose UN sanctions "would be incapable of legal effect.” The United States quit the nuclear deal in 2018.
"We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so,” said the UN envoys for Britain, France and Germany, adding that they remain committed to "fully implementing” a 2015 Security Council resolution that enshrines the pact, which also included Russia and China.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that he triggered a 30-day process at the Security Council leading to a return of UN sanctions on Iran on Saturday (2000 EDT/0000 GMT Sunday) that would also prevent a conventional arms embargo on Tehran from expiring on Oct. 18.
"Wrong again, Secretary Pompeo. Nothing new happens on 9/20,” Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif tweeted.
Also 13 of the Security Council members say Washington’s move is void because it is no longer a party to the nuclear deal. The United States obstinately claims it can make the move because the 2015 Security Council resolution still names it as a participant.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order in the coming days allowing him
to impose U.S. sanctions on anyone who violates the UN arms embargo on Iran in a bid to reinforce the U.S. assertion that the measure has been extended indefinitely beyond Oct. 18.
A top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Saturday the U.S. push to reinstate the UN sanctions is part of a propaganda stunt by Trump ahead of the November presidential election.
"How do they want to trigger the snapback mechanism when they are not members of the JCPOA anymore?” Ali Akbar Velayati said, referring to the nuclear deal and the process to reinstate the sanctions.
What if the U.S. triggers the mechanism. "The Islamic Republic has a very clear stance … it is not possible for the Islamic Republic to unilaterally implement the JCPOA while the opposite parties fail to do so,” Velayati said.
The official said Iran has no commercially viable transaction or trade with the Europeans who have virtually been a party to the U.S. sanctions regime. "An agreement which has practically been violated by one side has no validity.”
Under the sanctions snapback process if a Security Council resolution to extend sanctions relief on Iran is not adopted within the 30 days, then UN sanctions are supposed to be reimposed. No such resolution has been put forward for a vote.
Indonesia, the president of the Security Council for August, said last month that it was "not in the position to take further action” on the U.S. bid to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran because there was no consensus in the body.
In a letter to the 15-member body, cited by Reuters, the three European parties to the nuclear deal and long-time U.S. allies said any decision or action taken to reimpose UN sanctions "would be incapable of legal effect.” The United States quit the nuclear deal in 2018.
"We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so,” said the UN envoys for Britain, France and Germany, adding that they remain committed to "fully implementing” a 2015 Security Council resolution that enshrines the pact, which also included Russia and China.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that he triggered a 30-day process at the Security Council leading to a return of UN sanctions on Iran on Saturday (2000 EDT/0000 GMT Sunday) that would also prevent a conventional arms embargo on Tehran from expiring on Oct. 18.
"Wrong again, Secretary Pompeo. Nothing new happens on 9/20,” Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif tweeted.
Also 13 of the Security Council members say Washington’s move is void because it is no longer a party to the nuclear deal. The United States obstinately claims it can make the move because the 2015 Security Council resolution still names it as a participant.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order in the coming days allowing him
to impose U.S. sanctions on anyone who violates the UN arms embargo on Iran in a bid to reinforce the U.S. assertion that the measure has been extended indefinitely beyond Oct. 18.
A top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Saturday the U.S. push to reinstate the UN sanctions is part of a propaganda stunt by Trump ahead of the November presidential election.
"How do they want to trigger the snapback mechanism when they are not members of the JCPOA anymore?” Ali Akbar Velayati said, referring to the nuclear deal and the process to reinstate the sanctions.
What if the U.S. triggers the mechanism. "The Islamic Republic has a very clear stance … it is not possible for the Islamic Republic to unilaterally implement the JCPOA while the opposite parties fail to do so,” Velayati said.
The official said Iran has no commercially viable transaction or trade with the Europeans who have virtually been a party to the U.S. sanctions regime. "An agreement which has practically been violated by one side has no validity.”
Under the sanctions snapback process if a Security Council resolution to extend sanctions relief on Iran is not adopted within the 30 days, then UN sanctions are supposed to be reimposed. No such resolution has been put forward for a vote.
Indonesia, the president of the Security Council for August, said last month that it was "not in the position to take further action” on the U.S. bid to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran because there was no consensus in the body.