Trump: US to Revive Suspended Sanctions Against Iran
Washington is attempting to intensify sanctions against the Islamic Republic again. Donald Trump announced that the United States intends to activate the “snapback mechanism” at the United Nations to restore all sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program.
Donald Trump, the US President, said he has instructed his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to present America’s request in this regard to the UN Security Council on Thursday, August 20. He said: “Today I am directing the Secretary of State to notify the UN Security Council that the United States wants to restore all UN suspended sanctions against Iran. This is the snapback mechanism.”
Trump called the JCPOA “another terrible deal” which, according to him, “ultimately led to a disaster and financed all the turmoil and bloodshed in the region and the world.”
According to the confirmation of a UN spokesperson, Pompeo will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday afternoon to discuss the US request.
The US State Department confirmed on Wednesday evening in a statement that Mike Pompeo will travel to New York on August 20-21 to inform the Security Council of America’s intention to activate the “snapback mechanism” and restore UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Last week, the United States also attempted to extend the arms embargo on Iran by proposing a resolution in the Security Council, but Washington’s proposed draft faced failure after receiving 11 abstentions and two negative votes (from China and Russia). Only the US itself and the Dominican Republic voted in favor of the proposal.
It is likely that this time too, America’s effort regarding the activation of the “snapback mechanism” will face disregard from other Security Council members. According to analysts, this will certainly plunge the Security Council into deep divisions and crisis.
The US President, in a press conference on Thursday, while accusing the Islamic Republic of non-compliance with the JCPOA, again emphasized that “Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons.”
The US government believes that despite its withdrawal from the JCPOA (nuclear agreement), it is capable of restoring all sanctions against the Islamic Republic by relying on a provision of the agreement known as the “snapback mechanism.”
The “snapback mechanism” is included in Resolution 2231. Countries participating in the nuclear agreement can claim, based on this mechanism, that the other party to the agreement has not fulfilled its obligations. In this case, after a legal process that takes a total of 65 days, UN sanctions against Iran would be restored.
The United States believes that the participating countries referred to are those that signed the JCPOA.
This is while the Islamic Republic, the European Union, China, and Russia have emphasized that the United States, given its withdrawal from the JCPOA, is no longer considered a participating member and does not have the right to use the snapback mechanism.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, accused the United States of attempting to launch a political campaign against the Islamic Republic.
America’s effort to activate the snapback mechanism has also been controversial from a legal standpoint within the US itself.
John Bolton, the former US National Security Advisor who gained fame for his hardline stance toward the Islamic Republic, has stated that the United States, by withdrawing from the JCPOA, “has also lost the right to use the snapback mechanism.”
Source: DW
