US President Donald Trump said that Washington would invoke the "snapback" mechanism against Iran, seeking to restore all the pre-2015 UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic. "Today, I am directing the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to notify the UN Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the previously suspended United Nations sanctions on Iran," Xinhua news agency quoted Trump as saying at a White House briefing on Wednesday.
In a statement, the State Department said that Pompeo will travel to New York City on Thursday and Friday to notify the UN Security Council that the US would initiate the process to restore UN sanctions on Iran.
President Rouhani Vows Resistance
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier in the day vowed continued resistance against the US sanctions that would eventually "break and go away". The US move came after its draft resolution failed to get the required nine votes in favor of the UN Security Council on August 14 to extend the arms embargo against Iran.
Besides the US, only the Dominican Republic voted in favor of the draft. China and Russia voted against the text, and the remaining 11 Security Council members, including the European allies of the US, abstained.
Seeking Extension of Embargo
Under Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, the arms embargo against Iran is set to expire on October 18. Tehran said it would not accept a renewal of the embargo. The US withdrew from the landmark agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018.
The draft sought to extend the 13-year embargo indefinitely until the Security Council decides otherwise. An earlier version, which was introduced in June, sought the authorization of vessel inspections and weapons seizures as well as a travel ban and assets freeze, according to diplomats.
