WASHINGTON: After the US lost its bid on Friday to extend the UN arms embargo against Iran, American President Donald Trump announced he intends to move next week to trigger a “snapback” of international sanctions against the country at the UN.
“We’ll be doing a snapback. You’ll be watching it next week,” he told reporters on Saturday.
The US has threatened to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran using a provision in a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as `snapback’, even though Trump abandoned the accord in 2018. Trump made the announcement on Saturday even as he dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for a summit of world leaders to discuss increasing Iran tensions. He said he would be unlikely to take part.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday the US suffered a humiliating defeat at the Security Council. “I don’t remember the United States preparing a resolution for months to strike a blow at the Islamic Republic of Iran and it garners only one vote. But the great success was that the United States was defeated in this conspiracy with humiliation,” he said in a televised speech.
“In the 75 years of United Nations history, America has never been so isolated,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted.
“Despite all the trips, pressure and the hawking, the United States could only mobilise a small country (to vote) with them,” he added, in reference to failed efforts by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rally support for a US resolution.