TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in reaction to the remarks made by some American officials on the snapback scheme said that "in their own words" Washington has no right to recourse to the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 to return the UN sanctions against Iran.
"After officially and explicitly ceasing its participation in the JCPOA at the highest level, and having violated each and every one of its obligations under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, the US cannot arrogate to itself any right under that Resolution," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.
He pointed to US President Donald Trump’s 2018 announcement that “the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.”
Zarif thenpointed to a presidential memorandum released by the White House on May 8, 2018, which clearly states Washington is “ceasing” its participation in the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He further recalled US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments that Trump has “terminated the US participation in the JCPOA”.
The Iranian foreign minister then pointed to a press briefing by then National Security Advisor John Bolton during which he clearly stated that the US is not using the “provisions of Resolution 2231 … because we’re out of the deal".
“On snapback, we are no longer in the Deal, and so, the Parties that are still in the Deal with have to make their decisions,” Brian Hook, the US State Department’s special envoy for Iran, had also said.
Zarif used all these statements made by American officials to prove that the US itself admits it is no longer a party to the JCPOA and thus has no right to use the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution.
In relevant remarks earlier on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US president's attempt to snapback the UN Security Council’s sanctions against Tehran will result in nothing, but another disgrace for Donald Trump and his administration.
“Last night [US Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo activated the mechanism of returning the annulled Security Council resolutions in his imaginations,” Zarif said in a post on his Instagram account on Friday.
However, he added, at the same time Iran, Russia, China, the European Union, Germany, France, and the UK described the Trump administration’s move as unlawful, futile, and null and void in separate letters.
“Today, some other members of the Security Council will likely adopt similar stances, and the Trump administration will be isolated and disgraced globally once again,” Zarif said.
Referring to the global consensus against President Trump, the Iranian foreign minister said that the history of the UN Security Council does not remember any similar situation.
US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade, but to no avail since its "so-called maximum pressure policy" has failed to push Tehran to the negotiating table.
In response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times 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.
Tehran has particularly been disappointed with failure of the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- to protect its business interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.
On January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments, and said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development.
Now the US has stepped up attempts aimed at extending the UN arms ban on Iran that is set to expire as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2231.
The US first sought to extend the Iran's arms embargo in a fresh UNSC resolution in contradiction to the contents of the Resolution 2231 in two attempts within a month, but failed.
The United Nations Security Council resoundingly rejected on August 14, the second 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 2018.
Iran had said that the US resolution would fail to gain the required support at the Security Council, pointing out that Washington has no legal right to invoke a snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions against Tehran under the 2015 nuclear deal that the US unilaterally left in May 2018.
In relevant remarks on August 16, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said it is by no means justifiable for the US to use Dispute Resolution Mechanism with regard to UNSC Resolution 2231.
"US recourse to Dispute Resolution Mechanism in 2231 has NO LEG TO STAND ON," Zarif wrote on his Twitter page late Sunday August 16.
"AmbJohnBolton has repeated today what he said on May 8, 2018, while National Security Advisor in the Trump administration," he noted, adding, "At least he is consistent—a trait notably absent in this US administration."
Zarif' tweet came in reaction to former US National Security Advisor John Bolton's article in Wall Street Journal where he criticized US' decision to trigger ‘snapback mechanism’ against Iran, saying, "The agreement [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]’s backers argue that Washington, having withdrawn from the deal, has no standing to invoke its provisions. They’re right. It’s too cute by half to say we’re in the nuclear deal for purposes we want but not for those we don’t."
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