BEDMINSTER: US President Donald Trump vowed on Saturday to use a controversial technique to unilaterally restore UN sanctions on Tehran, a move which will have huge repercussions on the Iran nuclear deal.
His declaration came a day after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly rejected a US resolution to extend an Iranian arms embargo.
“We’ll be doing a snapback,” Trump said during a news conference at his New Jersey golf club. “You’ll be watching it next week.”
The president was referring to the contested argument that the US remains a “participant” in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — despite Trump’s withdrawal from it — and therefore can force a return to sanctions if it sees Iran as being in violation of its terms.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the US had failed to kill off what he called the “half alive” deal with major powers that gave Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
“The United States failed in this conspiracy with humiliation,” said Rouhani.
“This day will go down in the history of our Iran and in the history of fighting global arrogance.”
Only two of the Council’s 15 members voted in favor of the US resolution seeking to extend the embargo, highlighting the division between Washington and its European allies since Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord in 2018.
