US Ready To Punish Countries That Are Against Renewed UN Sanctions Against Iran - Pompeo

Muhammad Irfan Published September 20, 2020 | 05:30 AM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2020) UN sanctions are being reimposed on Iran and the US is planning additional measures, including to punish the countries that do not agree with the sanctions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"... today, the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said in a Saturday statement, adding that the "sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran pursuant to the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231."

According to the statement, the US expects all UN member states to comply with their obligations to implement the sanctions, failure to do so will lead to consequences.

"In addition to the arms embargo, this includes restrictions such as the ban on Iran engaging in enrichment and reprocessing-related activities, the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development by Iran, and sanctions on the transfer of nuclear- and missile-related technologies to Iran, among others.

If UN Member States fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity," Pompeo said.

He added that the US will continue its "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran until a comprehensive agreement is reached.

"In the coming days, the United States will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable," Pompeo said.

The UK, France, and Germany have come out against the US plan to reinstate punitive measures against Iran. In a letter sent to the UN Security Council, the three European countries said that sanctions relief, which was agreed as part of a 2015 nuclear deal that limited Iran's nuclear capabilities, would remain in force beyond Sunday.