Iran Warns of Proportional Action against US Bid to Re-impose Sanctions

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi said Tehran’s action against Washington’s attempts to reinstate the UN sanctions would depend on how seriously the US threats would harm the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] and the UNSC Resolution 2231.

"Depending on the extent to which the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 are threatened, Tehran's actions will be commensurate with what is happening to JCPOA and Resolution 2231,” Takht Ravanchi said in an interview with the Washington Arms Control Association on Friday when asked about Iran's goal in reducing its obligations and whether it will take new steps in future.

The UN ambassador further noted that Iran was discussing the Arak nuclear facility with its partners.

"If Iran fails to develop this part of the nuclear facility, it will return to its original design, which is an indigenous construction,” Iran Press quoted Takh Ravanchi as saying.

Relatively, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally demanded on Thursday that crippling international sanctions be reinstated against Iran.

“The process to re-impose sanctions on Iran begins," he said in a tweet. "Today I hand-delivered a letter to @UN Security Council President Dian Triansyah Djani to formally notify the Council of something we all know too well—Iran's failure to meet its commitments under the terrible nuclear deal.”

Members of the E3 -France, Germany and the UK- have rejected the attempt to initiate what's known as a snapback. The countries noted that the United States ceased to be a participant in the 2018 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.