Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN chief’s residence in New York City Aug. 20, 2020 regarding the U.S. triggering of ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

NEW YORK  –  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in New York on Thursday with UN Secretary General António Guterres to deliver notice of the Trump administration’s intent to trigger controversial snapback sanctions on Iran.  Pompeo also conferred with  the President of the UN Security Council  Ambassador  Dian Triansyah Djani, of Indonesia. 

“I delivered letters to both the UN Secretary-General Guterres and to the president of the Security Council.  I notified them that the United States is initiating the restoration of virtually all UN sanctions on Iran lifted under UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This process will lead to those sanctions coming back into effect 30 days from today. 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.”

-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press conference 

The move comes days after the UN Security  Council rejected a U.S. proposed resolution to extend indefinitely an international arms embargo on Iran.  Meanwhile, France, Germany and the U.K.,  issued a statement opposing the U.S. move and questioning its legitimacy. They also restated their commitment to preserving the deal.  The UN  banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. In 2018,  President Donald Trump’s 2018 withdrew  from the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, aimed at preventing Iranian development of nuclear weapons. The Trump administration then launched its campaign to make the arms embargo, which is set to expire Oct. 18, 2020,  permanent. Pompeo had promised, if the resolution failed,  the US would invoke the  highly controversial “snap back” mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that would restore all UN sanctions on Iran.

“Snapback”  Mechanism is Uncharted Territory

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives wearing a patriotic red, white and blue  mask for his meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York City  Aug. 20, 2020. 

The “snapback” mechanism has never been utilized by the Security Council, as it is foreign to the Iran deal, and it is not clear about its application.  The remaining parties to the Iran agreement contend that the US has no legal right to use the mechanism.  China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany  have taken the position that once the US walked away from the JCPOA,  since they are the remaining parties to JCPOA, the US has no legal ground to stand on to even be  involved in the deal. 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times /  The Manhattan, NY  residence of the UN Secretary-General located at 3 Sutton Place. 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives wearing a patriotic red, white and blue  mask to deliver notice of U.S. snapback Iran sanctions during meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York City  Aug. 20, 2020. 

Secretary Of State Pompeo Accuses Germany, France, UK of Siding With “Ayatollahs” 

“Our friends in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom – the E3 – all told me privately that they don’t want the arms embargo lifted either. And yet today, in the end, they provided no alternatives, no options. No country but the United States had the courage and conviction to put forward a resolution. Instead, they chose to side with ayatollahs. Their actions endanger the people of Iraq, of Yemen, of Lebanon, of Syria – and indeed, their own citizens as well. “

Iran’s ambassador To U.N. Says U.S.  Disqualified Itself from invoking any Snapback by pulling out of  Nuclear Deal

“The U.S. is not a participant of the JCPOA and has no right to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism, and its arbitrary interpretation of resolution 2231 cannot change this reality,” said Iranian Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi. “We are of the firm conviction that the letter sent by the U.S. today to the Security Council’s president and all the references therein is null and void and has no legal standing.”

-Iranian Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN chief’s residence in New York City Aug. 20, 2020 regarding the U.S. triggering of ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran.

Pompeo Argues U.S. Withdrawal from Nuclear Deal Does Not Disqualify Its Status

as a participant in what he referred to as  “a political agreement” and that what matters most is the language in the U.N. resolution.

 “It’s not the case that a political agreement arranged by a group of parties, including the United States, can undo the amazing work of the UN Security Council.  No resolution can be altered unilaterally by any country – not by Iran, not by Russia, not China, nor by the United States. Security Council resolutions can only be changed by subsequent Security Council resolutions. And so we think this is really straightforward. We think this is very simple. These UN Security Council resolutions will come back into place 31 days from now and the United States will vigorously enforce them.  “

-Secretary Of State Pompeo  

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN chief’s residence in New York City Aug. 20, 2020 regarding the U.S. triggering of ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran.

Ambassador Craft Says U.S.  Is  “Sickened”   By  UN Vote

Credit:  Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times / Ambassador Kelly Craft Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the United Nations also attended meeting with Secretary of State Pompeo and the UN Secretary-General Aug. 20, 2020. 

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft sharply criticized the UN’s failure to adopt the U.S. resolution last week.  “… the United States stands sickened – but not surprised – as the clear majority of Council members gave the green light to Iran to buy and sell all manner of conventional weapons. The Council’s failure today will serve neither peace nor security. Rather, it will fuel greater conflict and drive even more insecurity.”

Credit:  Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook also attended the meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York.   However,r Hooks has decided to step down from his role and will be replaced by Elliott Abrams, the top envoy for Venezuela. 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departs after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN chief’s residence in New York City Aug. 20, 2020 regarding the U.S. triggering of ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran.