US trade barbs with Europe over Iran sanctions

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The United States formally began the process Thursday of activating a controversial mechanism aimed at reimposing sanctions on Iran, a move that was immediately rejected by European allies fighting to save the Iranian nuclear deal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Britain, France and Germany of “siding with the ayatollahs” after they insisted Washington had no legal right to trigger the disputed procedure called “snapback.”

Pompeo personally submitted a letter to the president of the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, accusing Iran of “significant” noncompliance with the terms of the 2015 historic accord, according to a copy seen by AFP.

It is intended to launch the start of the process to snapback sanctions on Iran that threatens to torpedo the historic 2015 nuclear accord and threatens to plunge the Security Council into crisis.

It also widens the gulf between the US and almost every other Security Council member on Iran policy, which began when President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018.

The procedure, never before used, comes after the US suffered a humiliating defeat at the Security Council last week when it failed to muster support for a resolution to extend a conventional arms embargo on Iran.

The snapback aims to restore all international sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement with Tehran in exchange for it agreeing not to develop nuclear weapons. — AFP