The US Secretary of State accused the Europeans of “siding with the ayatollahs” of the Iranians, after it activated in New York, contrary to their wishes, a mechanism designed to re-impose UN sanctions on Tehran.
Secretary Mike Pompeo’s statement came Thursday in response to the announcement by France, Britain, and Germany that the United States lost in 2018 when it withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran the legal right to activate the “Snapback” mechanism that allows re-imposition of all UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
“No country but the United States has had the courage and conviction to present a draft resolution, but instead they chose to align themselves with the ayatollahs,” Pompeo told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where he submitted an official request to activate this mechanism.
He added, “”Our friends in Germany, France, and Britain told me in private councils that they do not want the arms embargo to be lifted.”
Washington received a strong blow in the UN Security Council last week when only one country, the Dominican Republic, voted with it on a draft resolution it submitted to extend the arms embargo imposed on Iran, in a result that revealed the depth of differences between the United States and its European allies since Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal.
The US secretary emphasized that his country had resorted to activating the Snapback mechanism after its European partners had left it “no other choice,” especially to maintain the arms embargo imposed on Iran.
Paris, London and Berlin said in a joint statement that “France, Germany and Britain indicate that the United States no longer participates in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action after its withdrawal from the agreement” in 2018 and therefore cannot “support this initiative, which conflicts with our current efforts to support the Comprehensive Plan of Action.” Common. ”
She added, “We remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action despite the major challenges posed by the withdrawal of the United States” from this agreement, and “we are convinced that the issue of Iranians’ continued lack of respect for their obligations stipulated in the JCPOA must be addressed within the framework of a dialogue between the participants.” In the convention.”
The three countries stressed that they “urge Iran to reconsider all its actions that contradict its nuclear obligations and to return without delay to fully respecting them.”
Tensions have escalated over the Iranian file since US President Donald Trump decided in 2018 to withdraw his country from the nuclear agreement concluded between Tehran and the major countries that froze the Iranian nuclear program and re-impose stifling economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The “Snack” mechanism stipulated in the nuclear agreement concluded with Iran in 2015 allows for the re-imposition of all UN sanctions on Iran if a state party to the agreement requests that, claiming Tehran has violated the obligations stipulated in the agreement.
However, other members of the UN Security Council doubt the possibility of the United States resorting to such a step because Washington withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 by a decision from Trump himself.
