US Cannot Use Snapback, China’s Envoy Reiterates
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China’s ambassador to Iran underlined that the US government is not allowed to trigger a mechanism in the 2015 nuclear accord with the purpose of re-imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
“It is the common belief that US cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under UNSCR2231,” Chang Hua said in a post on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
His comment came one day after the participants in the latest meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna opposed the US government’s plan to refer to the nuclear deal for re-imposing UN sanctions on Iran, saying Washington is no longer a JCPOA party after its withdrawal in 2018.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the permanent mission of China to the United Nations hailed the Tuesday session of the JCPOA Joint Commission as a “fruitful meeting at a critical juncture”, dismissing the US’ push to renew the sanctions on Iran by resorting to UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
UNSC Resolution 2231, which enshrined the JCPOA, states that if no council member has put forward a draft resolution to extend sanctions relief on Iran within 10 days of a non-compliance complaint, then the body’s president shall do so within the remaining 20 days.
The document, however, says the Security Council would “take into account the views of the states involved.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed that all UN sanctions against Iran will be reinstated on September 20 after the US “activated the snapback mechanism.”
However, the claim was strongly condemned by other signatories of the nuclear deal including the EU, Russia and China.
