U.S. not a participant to nuclear deal and cannot trigger snapback: EU’s Borrell

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that the United States cannot be considered to be a participant to the 2015 nuclear deal and cannot trigger the snapback mechanism to restore UN sanctions on Iran.

“I take note of today’s announcement by the U.S. regarding the so-called UN sanctions “snapback mechanism” under UN Security Council resolution 2231. As I have repeatedly recalled, the U.S. unilaterally ceased participation in the JCPOA by presidential Memorandum on 8 May 2018 and has subsequently not participated in any JCPOA-related activities. It cannot, therefore, be considered to be a JCPOA participant State for the purposes of possible sanctions snapback foreseen by the resolution,” he said in a statement published by the European Union’s official website on Thursday.

He added, “As coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA by all. The JCPOA remains a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture, contributing to regional security.”

The U.S. on Thursday formally began the process of activating snapback mechanism aimed at reimposing all the UN sanctions on Iran.

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• Josep Borrell
 
• Snapback mechanism
 
• U.S.
 
• Iran
 
• JCPOA