The US argues for what are called snapback sanctions
A recent article explains what the US action of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is: “Pompeo filed an official complaint with the president of the Security Council, accusing Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from two years ago. Under the agreement, that means sanctions will be “snapped back” into place next month unless the Security Council votes to keep them lifted – a move certain to trigger a U.S. veto.”
The US is forcing the issue of Iran sanctions back to the UN Security Council. Should there be a vote to relieve Iran from the sanctions the US would veto it.
The US just recently failed to get the UN to extend the sanctions
The arms embargo on Iran under the terms of the JCPOA is to expire in mid-October. The US tried to pass a motion in the UN Security Council to extend the embargo. The motion was roundly defeated with only the Dominican Republic and the US voting for the motion.
US determined to have weapons embargo on Iran extended
Having failed to pass the extension motion through the UN, the US is simply executing a plan B of triggering the snapback sanctions which will have the same effect. Pompeo states the US position to reporters after meeting with both the UN Security Council president and the UN Secretary General: “Our message is very, very simple.The United States will never allow the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism to freely buy and sell planes, tanks, missiles and other kinds of conventional weapons.”
Many countries oppose US position
Many countries take the position that the US has no authority to invoked the snapback provisions of the JCPOA since they pulled out of the treaty years ago. The US says that the still are signatories of the JCPOA agreement.
Not surprisingly Russia and China will oppose the US move. However even three US allies the UK, France and Germany opposed the US on the grounds it did not have the authority to invoke the snapback sanctions since the US had already withdrawn from the pact. The US move no doubt will increase tension between the US and some of its key allies.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a tweet: “The U.S. cannot trigger snapback mechanisms after its withdrawal from the JCPOA,” Zhao added that China also opposed US attempts to impose sanctions on Iran unilaterally and demanded the US fulfill its obligations and respect the rights and interests of other nations.
