No Logical Basis for Reimposing UN Sanctions on Iran
WANA (Sep 20) – An Iranian expert on U.S. affairs believes that divisions and ambiguities within the United Nations Security Council make it illogical to reimpose sanctions on Iran, especially since the country currently has no active nuclear program.
Foad Izadi, a university professor and analyst of U.S. affairs, commented on the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution extending the suspension of Iran sanctions and the possibility of their reimposition from September 28. He noted:
“Recently, the UN Secretary-General stated in a letter that issues such as the snapback mechanism must be referred to the rotating president of the Security Council. This month, South Korea held the presidency, and in the resolution it introduced, it abstained from voting, clearly under pressure.”
Izadi added, “Next month, Russia will preside, and the situation may become more favorable. On October 18, when the JCPOA expires, Russia could issue a statement declaring the closure of the JCPOA file, the snapback mechanism, and Resolution 2231.”
He also explained that Western states claim the snapback mechanism has already been activated. “The West has two permanent members in the Council—Britain and France—while the United States withdrew from the JCPOA years ago. Russia and China take the opposite position. These differing views have created disagreements and ambiguities, which allow countries that want to cooperate with Iran to continue their activities despite the uncertainty.”
According to Izadi, European countries have set a 30-day window in an attempt to pressure Iran. “They want full access to Iran’s nuclear and enrichment activities, to limit Iran’s missile range to under 300 kilometers, and to ensure that any potential response from Iran cannot reach Haifa or Tel Aviv,” he said.
He warned that Europeans intend to use different tools within a week to pursue these goals. “They have previously suggested a six-month suspension of the snapback mechanism and prefer a state of neither war nor peace, but such a suspension does not serve the country’s interests,” Izadi stated.
On the issue of reimposing UN sanctions, he stressed: “These sanctions should not return because Iran currently has no nuclear program. The sanctions were imposed due to nuclear activities, but now Iran has none. Therefore, there is no rational or logical justification for restoring them.”
Izadi concluded that claims about the snapback being activated are unlikely to materialize. “Given the divisions in the Security Council, I don’t believe it will happen,” he said.
