Alone among nations, US moves to restore UN Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON — The United States slapped additional sanctions on Iran on Monday after the Trump administration's disputed unilateral weekend declaration that all United Nations penalties eased under the 2015 nuclear deal had been restored.
The announcement came in defiance of nearly all U.N. members, including U.S. allies in Europe, who have rejected U..S. legal standing to impose the international sanctions. It set the stage for an ugly showdown at the annual U.N. General Assembly this week and also came as President Donald Trump seeks to portray himself as a champion for Middle East stability ahead of November's presidential election.
In addition to his actions against Iran, Trump just last week witnessed the signing of agreements normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, both of which reflect increased regional concerns about Iran. Similar U.S.-brokered deals between Israel and
Arab states are expected in the coming days and weeks.
“The United States has now restored U.N. sanctions on Iran,” Trump said in a statement issued shortly after he signed an executive order spelling out how the U.S. will enforce the “snapback” of the sanctions. “My actions today send a clear message to the Iranian regime and those in the international community who refuse to stand up to Iran.”
The sanctions include freeze son any assets those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdisctions, bar
Americans from doing business with them and, perhaps most importantly, open up foreign governments, companies and individuals to U.S. penalties if they engage in transactions with them.
Speaking to reporters with fellow Cabinet secretaries at the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the administration was hitting more than two dozen Iranian individuals and institutions with penalties. “No matter who you are if you violate the U.N. arms embargo on Iran you risk sanctions,” he said.