Russia slams US maximum pressure policy against Iran

“What is the main result of US maximum pressure policy? The compelled reduction of Iranian commitments under #JCPOA. Isn’t it high time to reassess objectively counterproductive decisions which have affected negatively the global non-proliferation regime and regional security?” Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism. 

In response to the unilateral move, as well as the European signatories’ failure to safeguard Iran’s economic interests in the face of US sanctions, Tehran rowed back on its nuclear commitments step-by-step in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.

In another tweet earlier on Tuesday, Ulyanov called the US allegations of nuclear commitment and Washington’s plans to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran "pessimistic".

“The United States now claims that it will remain a member of the UN Security Council and that it can use the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 to establish a mechanism to restore UN sanctions against Iran. It has nothing to do with the fact that the United States has long been out of the deal and trying to break it down. It’s pessimistic,” he wrote.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to invoke a provision in the Iran nuclear agreement in an effort to either extend an arms embargo on Iran or reimpose even harsher United Nations (UN) sanctions, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

Last week, Pompeo also called on the UN Security Council to extend Iran's arms embargo under the pretext of preventing a new arms race in the Middle East.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the bullying policies of the US regarding the nuclear deal and UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

MNA/4912244