Russia slams US efforts to snap back anti-Iran sanctions

Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message condemned US attempts to restore sanctions against Iran, saying US act will bring about unprecedented conflict in the Security Council.

The overwhelming majority of the UN Security Council members considered the US attempt to start the procedure for the restoration of sanctions against Iran, Ulyanov wrote on his Twitter account.

But the United States, instead of retreating, intends to go ahead, creating an unprecedented conflict in the Security Council, he added, IRNA reported on Saturday.

“The MFA of Russian: US initiative on snapback has no future and will have no legal consequences,” the Russian diplomat said in a separate message referring to comment by the Information and Press Department on the UN Security Council’s negative reaction to illegal attempts by the United States to re-impose UN sanctions against Iran.

“Strange logic. For 10 or 14 years arms embargo didn’t change the situation in the Middle East from the US perspective,” Ulyanov stated.

“But if you prolong embargo right now everything would miraculously change in accordance with US vision. Something is very questionable in these calculations,” he said reacting to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who recently claimed that Iran nuclear deal didn’t bring security for America, stability in the Middle East.

Earlier, Indonesian Ambassador to the UN and the current president of the UN Security Council, Dian Triansyah Djani, said the Security Council was “not in the position to take further action” on the US snapback bid against Iran.

Pompeo claimed that Washington delivered a letter to the UN for snapback invocation against Iran to bring back sanctions in 30 days.

This is while, France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3) announced in a statement that they will not support the US in snapback invocation against Iran which is incompatible with the current efforts to support Iran nuclear deal.

In a similar move, Chinese Mission to the United Nations termed Pompeo’s claims as “full of lies” adding, "The US demand for invoking a snapback has no legal ground. It is nothing but a political show put on by the US itself.”

EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Spokesperson Peter Stano also told New Europe on Thursday that the European Union “remains committed to implementing the JCPOA as a matter of respecting international agreements and of our shared international security.”

Source: Iran Daily