Iran President Rouhani vows 'crushing response' to US after sanction declaration

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the United States “faces defeat” in its unilateral attempt to return sanctions on Iran through snapback mechanism. After European partners of the Iran nuclear deal called the US declaration legally void, Rouhani vowed to “give a crushing response to America's bullying".

"America is approaching a certain defeat in its sanctions move... It faced defeat and a negative response from the international community," said Rouhani in a televised speech.

The Iran nuclear deal was enshrined in a UNSC resolution which still names the US as a participant and the Trump administration has been arguing on the technicality that Washington could still trigger a snapback. US State Secretary Mike Pompeo announced on September 19 that the 30-day process for the return of all sanctions has ended and all provisions of the UN Security Council resolution are back.

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European signatories reject sanctions

However, the European signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) said that the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 and has no legal standing to trigger snapback. Britain, France, and Germany said in a joint statement that they have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to doing so.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had urged the global community to oppose the “bullying” nature of the United States sanctions or expect to face similar sanctions in future. The foreign ministry said in a statement that the US approach is a major threat to international peace and security and an unprecedented threat to the UN and the Security Council.

"Iran emphasizes that if the US, directly or with the co-operation of a number of its allies, makes any move in line with these threats, it will face a serious reaction and should account for all its dangerous consequences," the statement read.

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