The Donald Trump administration will “soon” act on its threat to trigger a return of international sanctions on Iran, Secretary of State Pompeo said Wednesday, days after the United States lost its bid to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Tehran. 

“The president’s made clear we’re going to do that soon, and we will,” Pomepo said during a joint press briefing with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. “We have every expectation they will be enforced just like every other UN Security Council resolution.” 

After an embarrassing but expected defeat at the United Nations Security Council last week, in which all but the Dominican Republic voted against or abstained from the American effort to extend a 13-year-old arms embargo on Iran, the administration is now seeking to reimpose the sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. 

UN Resolution 2231 allows for the deal’s member countries to trigger a “snapback” of sanctions by filing a complaint to the Security Council if Iran is no longer abiding by its nuclear obligations. But critics argue the United States gave up the legal authority to invoke this provision when it withdrew from the agreement two years ago.