NEW YORK: The us (US) was further isolated on Friday over its bid to re-impose international sanctions on Iran with 13 countries on the 15-member UN Security Council expressing their opposition, arguing that Washington’s move is void given it's employing a process agreed under a nuclear deal that it quit two years ago.
In the 24 hours since US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he triggered a 30-day countdown to a return of UN sanctions on Iran, including an arms embargo, long-time allies Britain, France, Germany and Belgium also as China, Russia,Vietnam, Niger, Saint Vincent and therefore the Grenadines, South Africa , Indonesia, Estonia and Tunisia have already written letters con , reported a British news agency .
The us has accused Iran of breaching a 2015 affect world powers that aimed to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons reciprocally for sanctions relief. But President Donald Trump described it because the “worst deal ever” and quit in 2018.
Diplomats said Russia, China and lots of other countries are unlikely to re-impose the sanctions on Iran. Pompeo again warned Russia and China against that on Friday, threatening US action if they refuse to re-impose the UN measures on Iran.
The us acted on Thursday after the safety Council resoundingly rejected its bid last week to increase an arms embargo on Iran beyond its expiration in October. Only the Dominican Republic joined Washington in voting yes.
Dominican Republic has not yet written to the council to state its position on the sanctions snapback push.
Under the method Washington says it's triggered, it appears all UN sanctions should be re-imposed in the dark GMT (8 pm ny time) on Sept. 19 - just days before Trump is thanks to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly, the annual meeting which will be largely virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A 2015 Security Council resolution enshrining the nuclear deal states that if no councillor has suggests a draft resolution to increase sanctions relief on Iran within 10 days of a non-compliance complaint, then the body’s president shall do so within the remaining 20 days.
The us would be ready to veto this, giving it a cleaner argument that sanctions on Iran need to be re-imposed. However, the 2015 resolution also says the council would “take under consideration the views of the states involved.” Given the strong opposition, some diplomats say the council president - Indonesia for August and Niger for September - wouldn't need to put up a draft text.
“Faced with this very strong view of a majority of Security Council members that the snapback process has not been triggered, because the presidency they're not sure to introduce the draft resolution,” said a UN Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pompeo and outgoing US Iran envoy Brian Hook signaled that Washington expects Indonesia or Niger to place a text to a vote. Another US option is to place forward the draft itself or ask the Dominican Republic to try to to so.
The us argues that it can trigger the sanctions snapback process because the 2015 Security Council resolution still names it as a nuclear deal participant. However, during a joint letter to the safety Council on Thursday hours after the US submitted it complaint, Britain, Germany and France said: “Any decisions and actions which might be taken supported this procedure or on its possible outcome would even be barren of any legal effect.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from the showdown within the Security Council . “Security Council members will got to interpret their own resolution,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “It’s not the Secretary-General.”
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