New Defeat at UNSC to Spell Disaster for US: Iran Envoy


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s UN ambassador expressed confidence that the US would suffer another defeat at the Security Council with the rejection of its bid to trigger the snapback mechanism, describing it as a disaster for the US officials shortly after their failure to extend an arms embargo on Iran.

Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations on Thursday, Majid Takht Ravanchi said the UNSC is going to reject the US’ call for re-imposing the UN sanctions on Iran under a snapback mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal.

In the same way that the UNSC rejected the US-initiated resolution on the extension of the UN arms embargo on Iran last week, it will once again turn down Washington’s push to trigger the snapback mechanism, he added.

“This would be a disaster for the United States’ statesmen,” the envoy said.

The US has mocked the UN Member States by proposing a plan to activate a mechanism of the JCPOA, to which it is not a member anymore, Takht Ravanchi deplored.

The US has formally withdrawn from the nuclear deal, so it has no legal justification to trigger the snapback mechanism in the JCPOA and its reasoning is a “fraudulent law”, he stated.

In a post on his Twitter account earlier on Thursday, Takht Ravanchi said the US will be humiliated again as the international community has already rejected Washington’s bid.

“@SecPompeo yesterday called for full enforcement of UNSCR 2231,” Iran’s UN envoy said, adding, “2231 endorsed JCPOA, & US ceased its participation in it. It is in violation of BOTH.”

He also warned the US administration that it “shouldn't try its luck” to restore sanctions against Iran once again because, “It'll only be humiliated again.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally demanded on Thursday that crippling international sanctions be reinstated against Iran.

“The process to re-impose sanctions on Iran begins," he said in a tweet. "Today I hand-delivered a letter to @UN Security Council President Dian Triansyah Djani to formally notify the Council of something we all know too well—Iran's failure to meet its commitments under the terrible nuclear deal.”

Members of the E3 -France, Germany and the UK- have rejected the attempt to initiate what's known as a snapback. The countries noted that the United States ceased to be a participant in the 2018 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.