US President Donald Trump said the State Department will soon attempt to trigger a “snap back” of UN sanctions on Iran, as the top American diplomat threatened consequences for Moscow and Beijing if they try to block the effort, RT reported.
“Today I'm directing the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to notify the United Nations Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the United Nations sanctions on Iran – it’s a snap back, not uncommon,” Trump told reporters during a White House press conference on Wednesday.
"When the United States entered into the Iran deal, it was clear the United States would always have the right to restore the UN sanctions that would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," he claimed.
“My administration will not allow this Iran nuclear situation to go on,” Trump added, claiming that if he is re-elected, Tehran will immediately crawl back begging for a deal with Washington.
The secretary of state traveled to the UN Security Council (UNSC) in New York on Thursday to begin the process of restoring the penalties, the State Department said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on Wednesday night, told the Fox News that the United States will not hesitate to impose sanctions on any nation that opposes its effort to "snapback" United Nations sanctions on Iran.
When we have seen any country violate our current sanctions, the current American sanctions, we have held every nation accountable for that," Pompeo told host Bret Baier. "We will do the same with respect to the broader UN Security Council sanctions as well."
This is while, the United Nations Security Council resoundingly rejected last Friday a US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.
The resolution needed support from nine of 15 votes to pass. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany, and Britain, while the US and the Dominican Republic were the only “yes” votes.
The United States has become isolated over Iran at the Security Council following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
HJ/5003469/PR