The refusal of the UN Security Council to grant the US request to restore anti-Iranian sanctions pointed to Washington's legal and procedural insignificance of the initiative, a comment issued on Wednesday by the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.
"Several days earlier, the president of the Security Council received clear official signals from many UNSC member states indicating that they do not recognize the US right to initiate the re-institution of sanctions against Iran. The American side has been clearly shown that it has no legal or procedural standing in the matter and that its actions have no relation to the goal of maintaining international peace and security and, therefore, cannot result in the restoration of the sanctions that were canceled long ago," the document says.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the US initiative "has no prospects or legal consequences." "Our American colleagues have had the opportunity to see that the international community firmly rejects their demand to restore the sanctions under the so-called snapback mechanism stipulated in the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - ed.) and UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This provision can only be enacted by a JCPOA participant state. The United States is not such a state, as it has itself stated more than once, reinforcing its statements with decisions and executive acts. These steps by Washington, which constitute a gross violation of the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231, have met with general disappointment and condemnation," the comment reads.
In addition, the Ministry noted that it was alarming that US representatives, instead of drawing conclusions from this, have thrown accusations at the Security Council and its members and have done this outside the accepted framework of diplomatic discourse. "Having ended up alone, the United States continues to harp on about its “leadership”. Its chosen policy of ignoring reality is only further complicating the situation. We urge Washington to take this into account and to get back on track," the Ministry concluded.
On Tuesday, Indonesia's permanent representative to the UN, Dian Triansyah Jani, who chairs the Security Council in August, said that the US request to restore anti-Iranian sanctions could not be met. The Deputy permanent representative of France to the UN, Anna Gegen, clarified that thirteen of the fifteen Security Council countries opposed the request.
In early August, the US, again accusing Iran of violating the nuclear deal, announced its intention to restore UN sanctions against Tehran under the procedure provided for by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). On August 20, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo personally transmitted Washington's request to the UN Security Council President. According to the terms of the JCPOA, any party to the agreement (Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany) can launch a procedure for restoring sanctions against Iran if it violates the terms of the deal. However, in 2018, the US withdrew from the agreement.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS