Brian Hook: 'A lot of good things will happen' with Iran sanctions reimposed

The US special representative for Iran says the US government hopes that all UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which were lifted during the presidency of Barack Obama, will be reinstated within 29 days.

In an exclusive interview with Samira Qaraei of Radio Farda, Brian Hook emphasized that Iran's failure to comply with its nuclear commitments would allow the United States to activate the trigger mechanism and restore sanctions, and said that with the return of sanctions, "many good things will happen. The arms embargo on Iran will be extended and Iran will not be allowed to enrich uranium."

The trigger mechanism is the mechanism foreseen in Security Council Resolution 2231, which allows the parties to the JCPOA to request the automatic return of all international sanctions if Iran violates its commitments.

On August 20, the US government officially notified the Security Council of its request to reinstate international sanctions against Iran, citing the Islamic Republic's "significant violation" of the nuclear deal.

The Iranian government says that because the United States has withdrawn from the JCPOA, it cannot use this mechanism.

In addition, Reuters reported on September 1 that it had seen letters submitted by 13 of the 15 permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council opposing the US use of the trigger mechanism.

Mr. Hook, however, rejects the argument put forward by Iranian government officials, saying: "The UN Security Council resolution that lifted all UN sanctions clearly explains the necessary processes."

Emphasizing that both Republican and Democratic factions of the US Congress are in favor of extending the arms embargo on Iran, he said: "We tried to do this through simple and easy methods, but the Security Council did not approve our resolution. As a result, we were forced to resort to the trigger mechanism on Thursday and restore all UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The United States' proposed resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran failed to obtain the necessary votes in the United Nations Security Council on August 14 and was rejected.

Brian Hook emphasized that the US government's goal in these actions is not to "gain popularity," saying, "America has always done the right and courageous thing to advance security and peace."

The US Special Representative for Iran expressed surprise that the JCPOA had become something "like a religious belief" for the Iranian government, saying that the agreement was a political commitment that was not even signed and was not legally binding.

He said the Trump administration's preference is for the remaining governments in the JCPOA to join US diplomacy against the Islamic Republic, because, according to Mr. Hook, this diplomacy has been very successful in weakening the Iranian government and the militia groups that operate on behalf of the Iranian government in the region.

He considered the Trump administration's goal to be to reach a comprehensive agreement that would cover all threats posed by the Islamic Republic, including nuclear, missile, and aggressive behavior in the Middle East region.

Mr. Hook called the behavior of European countries towards the arms embargo on Iran wrong and said that in the last few decades, the Iranian government in Europe has "implemented dozens of terrorist plans and programs" and recently attempted to bomb a political meeting in Paris.

He raised the issue that the Iranian government had plotted assassinations on European soil and planned to bomb a Jewish synagogue, saying: "The Iranian government is a threat to the security of Europe. I don't know who would think that giving weapons to this regime is the right decision."

The US Special Representative for Iran, emphasizing that the Trump administration's policy of pressure on the Iranian government will continue, said: "The Iranian president admits that the pressure of sanctions has cost them $200 billion, that the Central Bank of Iran has suffered a financial crisis, and that these issues have occurred in a government that is "anti-Semitic" and "the world's number one sponsor of terrorism."

He considered the current situation to be the result of the choice of the Leader of the Islamic Republic and said that the US Secretary of State had previously told Ali Khamenei that he must either negotiate or prepare himself to manage an economic collapse.

Emphasizing that the Islamic Republic has lost its legitimacy among the people, the senior American diplomat said: "Only the economic situation of Libya and Venezuela is worse than that of Iran."

The US special representative for Iran, emphasizing that the Trump administration is ready to negotiate to reach a good agreement, said that in the context of the return of UN sanctions, after some time, "countries will join us."

He also said that one of the consequences of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA was the agreement between the UAE and Israel.

According to Mr. Hook, from the perspective of the UAE and Israel, the JCPOA was a betrayal of the security of these countries, and if the US government has the wrong strategy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, "it will be impossible to create understanding between the Persian Gulf countries and Israel."

The normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel has been met with a negative and harsh reaction from Iranian government officials.

In the latest stance, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said on Monday, September 25, that the UAE government "made a big mistake" and that "what happened in this regard is a wound for the Islamic world."

Source: Radio Farda