Iran dismisses US push for snapback sanctions
Iranian officials have rejected the idea that the United States will implement the snapback sanctions that were rejected.
As the United States prepares to push for the reapplication of sanctions against Iran at the United Nations again, Iran sees another failed attempt to dismantle the nuclear deal.
US State Department officials said Sept. 16 they will push to trigger the snapback sanctions against Iran despite having lost a vote to do so Aug. 14. As part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, the arms embargo on Iran is set to expire. The United States, however, is seeking to extend the arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, using the JCPOA snapback mechanism option against Iran. Since the United States announced its exit from the deal, the other members of the United Nations, particularly Europe, rejected the US move, saying it is no longer part of the deal and cannot initiate any part of its mechanisms.
In response to the new US efforts, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, “No snapback has been started for it to even reach a conclusion.” He said the United States “does not have the qualifications” to trigger a snapback and therefore is not even able to start the one-month process. Rouhani also warned that some media outlets outside of the country would repeat the news that the United States has achieved snapback sanctions, but he referred to this as “fake news.”
Rouhani said the United States would fail in its attempt to claim the sanctions have been slapped on Iran, adding, “This failure of America is one of the great victories of Iran.” He compared this victory to the victory of the Iran-Iraq War.
