USA Considers Options to Re-Impose Sanctions on Iran

US Department of State revealed that Trump administration is seeking by every means to re-impose sanctions on Iran under the pretext of "breaching" the 2015 agreement with world powers.

The UAS aims at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

The 2015 UN Security Council resolution approving the nuclear deal states that if no council member submits a draft resolution to extend the sanctions relief on Iran within 10 days of the complaint of non-compliance, the council president must do so within the remaining twenty days.

The 2015 resolution also states that the council "will take into account the views of the countries concerned.

In light of strong opposition, some diplomats say that Indonesia, which holds the presidency in August, and Niger, which takes over the presidency in September, will not have to come up with a draft.

" A UN diplomat, who requested anonymity, said that in the face of this very strong position on the part of the majority of Security Council members that the process of speedy return to sanctions has not started, the presidency of the UN Security Council is not obligated to submit the draft resolution.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US envoy on Iran, Brian Hook, indicated that Washington expects that Indonesia or Niger will put forward a text for a vote.

Another option is for Washington to present the draft itself or for the Dominican Republic to demand it.

The United States argues it can initiate a process of re-imposing sanctions because the 2015 UN Security Council resolution still lists it as a party to the nuclear deal.

It is worth noting that the United States faces more isolation regarding its efforts to re-impose international sanctions on Iran, as 13 of the 15 member countries of the UN Security Council opposed the US effort.

The majority of the member states of the UN Security Council opposed the US effort, citing its invalidity.

They asserted that Washingtons proposal is invalid, given its use of an agreed process under the nuclear agreement from which it withdrew two years ago.

In the 24 hours that followed Pompeo's announcement that he had launched a 30-day countdown to the return of UN sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, longtime allies Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, as well as China, Russia, Vietnam, Niger, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, South Africa and Indonesia and Estonia and Tunisia wrote letters of objection to US intrigues.

Washington accuses Iran of violating a 2015 agreement with world powers aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear arsenal in exchange for sanctions relief, but President Donald Trump called it "the worst agreement ever" and withdrew from it in 2018.

Diplomats said it was unlikely that Russia, China and many other countries would re-impose sanctions on Iran.

Pompeo warned Moscow and Beijing about this on Friday, threatening US action if they refused to re-impose UN measures on Iran.

The United States moved on Thursday after the Security Council categorically rejected its attempt last week to extend the arms embargo on Iran after it expired in October, and only the Dominican Republic supported Washington in the vote.

The Dominican Republic has not yet written to the Council to clarify its position in support of the re-imposition of sanctions.

As part of the process that Washington says it has started, it appears that all sanctions will have to be re-imposed at midnight on September 19 Greenwich Mean Time (8:00 pm New York time), a few days before Trump is scheduled to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

The annual meeting that will be largely hypothetical due to the Coronavirus pandemic.