Islam Times - China Condemns US Plans to Extend Arms Embargo & Push UN Iran Sanctions

Islam Times - China has rejected US plans to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran along with a probable push to trigger a return of all sanctions on Tehran at the UN Security Council.

“It has no right to extend an arms embargo on Iran, let alone to trigger snapback,” China’s UN mission wrote in a tweet on Thursday.

“Maintaining [the] Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the only right way moving forward,” it added.

Over the last month, Washington has stepped up calls for the extension of an UN arms embargo on Iran that will expire in October under UNSC resolution 2231, which endorsed the landmark Iran nuclear deal in 2015.

The Trump administration has threatened that it may seek to trigger a snapback of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to extend the arms embargo fail.

Tehran, however, has firmly rejected Washington’s plans as the US is no longer a party to the nuclear deal ever since it withdrew from the multilateral agreement in 2018.

China, a signatory to the JCPOA, echoed Tehran’s position in its UN envoy statement on Thursday.

“US failed to meet its obligations under Resolution 2231 by withdrawing from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” it said.

Earlier this week, Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that his country will oppose any US attempt to impose sanctions on Iran at the UNSC, where Moscow, also a JCPOA signatory, has veto power.

The Russian ambassador stressed that “to trigger a snapback you have to be a participant of the JCPOA, and the US proudly announced on May 8, 2018 that they withdrew from the JCPOA and closed the door behind.”

“Now, they knock on the door and say, just wait a second we forgot to do one little thing on the JCPOA, but let us back, we’ll do it and we’ll leave again,’” he said.

Ever since withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, Washington has sought to pressure Tehran with a growing list of widespread sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.

European signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, France and Germany – have sought to salvage the deal by setting up a trade mechanism to protect business with Iran from US sanctions.

The countries have, nonetheless, failed to deliver on the trade mechanism under US pressure, effectively denying Tehran of economic incentives promised under the deal.

Tehran has responded by gradually suspending its own commitments to the nuclear accord, ultimately announcing the lifting of the last of its key nuclear restrictions in January.

Iran has repeatedly said that it is ready to resume fulfilling its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal if sanctions are removed and it can avail itself of the JCPOA’s benefits.

Washington, however, has pressed on with new sanctions against Tehran, even as the country is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.