US Officially Demands Restoration of Iran Sanctions at UN Security Council... Qualification Controversy Continues

Letter from South Korea's UN Ambassador: "Iran's Serious Non-Compliance Continues"
US, Having Withdrawn from 2018 Nuclear Deal, Faces Ongoing Snapback Eligibility Controversy

Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State
Photo by AP News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The United States has officially notified the United Nations (UN) Security Council of its demand for Iran's 'snapback.' Snapback is a provision that allows the reinstatement of eased sanctions if Iran fails to comply with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

According to the Associated Press and others on the 20th (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo personally visited the UN headquarters in New York and delivered a letter containing this content to Dian Triansyah Djani, Indonesia's ambassador to the UN and the rotating president of the Security Council. The letter was issued under the name of Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to the UN.

Through this letter, the United States claimed that Iran violated the 2015 nuclear deal and that the process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran has already begun. It also mentioned that European parties to the nuclear deal had tried to persuade Iran to comply with the agreement, emphasizing, "Despite the extensive efforts and full diplomatic activities of those member states, Iran's serious non-compliance with the agreement continues."

Secretary Pompeo told reporters, "The United States has informed that it is initiating the process to restore virtually all UN sanctions on Iran," adding, "Our message is very simple. The United States will never allow the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism to freely buy and sell conventional weapons such as airplanes, tanks, and missiles." He criticized the impending expiration of the arms embargo on Iran on October 18, calling the failure to extend it "a tremendous mistake and madness."

However, the prevailing view is that the United States is not qualified to make such a demand. Since the U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 under the direction of President Donald Trump, it cannot demand the restoration of sanctions on Iran citing non-compliance. European countries, parties to the nuclear deal, have also stated that the U.S. lacks the qualification. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the UN, said, "Of course, we will object to this."

In response, the Trump administration separately submitted an explanatory document to the Security Council presidency on the same day, asserting that the U.S. holds the legal right to demand the restoration of sanctions on Iran along with the notification of sanctions reinstatement. The claim included that since the U.S. was an original participant in the nuclear deal and a permanent member of the Security Council, it retains the right to demand sanctions restoration despite its withdrawal decision.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.