Trump: US will restore suspended sanctions on Iran

Washington is trying to re-tighten sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Donald Trump announced that the United States intends to activate a "trigger mechanism" at the United Nations to restore all sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump said he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to present the US request to the UN Security Council on Thursday, August 20. "Today I am directing the Secretary of State to inform the UN Security Council that the United States intends to reinstate all suspended UN sanctions on Iran. This is the trigger mechanism," he said.

Trump called the JCPOA “another great deal” that, he said, “ultimately led to a disaster and financed all the chaos and bloodshed in the region and the world.”

According to a UN spokesperson, Pompeo will meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday afternoon to discuss the US request.

The US State Department issued a statement on Wednesday evening confirming that Mike Pompeo will travel to New York on August 20 and 21 to inform the Security Council of the US's intention to activate the "trigger mechanism" and restore UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Last week, the United States also tried to implement a resolution in the Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Iran, but Washington's proposal failed after receiving 11 abstentions and two negative votes (China and Russia). Only the United States itself and the Dominican Republic voted in favor of the proposal.

This time, the US effort to activate the “trigger mechanism” is likely to be met with indifference from other members of the Security Council. Analysts believe that this will undoubtedly lead to a deep rift and crisis in the Security Council.

In a press conference on Thursday, the US President, while accusing the Islamic Republic of not adhering to the JCPOA, reiterated that "Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon."

The US government believes that despite its withdrawal from the JCPOA (nuclear agreement), it is able to restore all sanctions against the Islamic Republic by relying on a clause in the agreement known as the "trigger mechanism."

The “trigger mechanism” is included in Resolution 2231. Countries participating in the nuclear deal can invoke it and claim that the other party to the agreement has not fulfilled its obligations. In that case, after a legal process that takes a total of 65 days, UN sanctions against Iran are reinstated.

The United States believes that the participating countries mean the countries that have signed the JCPOA.

This is while the Islamic Republic, the European Union, China, and Russia have clarified that, given its withdrawal from the JCPOA, the United States is no longer considered a participating member and is not allowed to use the trigger mechanism.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of trying to launch a political campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The US attempt to activate the trigger mechanism through legal means has been controversial even within the US itself.

John Bolton, a former US national security adviser known for his tough stance on the Islamic Republic, has said that by withdrawing from the JCPOA, the United States has "also lost the right to use the trigger mechanism."

Source: DW