Iran warns US it will respond to new sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Sunday that if the United States resorts to coercion in restoring UN sanctions against Iran despite others in the international community opposing it, his country was prepared for a "decisive response".

Rouhani's comments came after the Trump administration declared Saturday that all UN sanctions against Iran have been reimposed because Tehran was not complying with the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Rouhani offered his gratitude to Russia, China, and European members of the United Nations Security Council for not agreeing with the US.

The US move has been rejected by most other world nations, and sets the stage for an ugly showdown at the UN ahead of its annual General Assembly this week.

Even before the US declaration, other Security Council members had vowed to ignore it, arguing that Washington lost legal standing to invoke "snapback" sanctions when President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and began reimposing US sanctions on Iran.

France, Germany and Britain issued a joint statement Sunday reiterating that they contest the legal basis of the Trump administration's bid to activate the snapback sanctions mechanism because the United States withdrew from the nuclear accord.

Rouhani added that if the remaining signatories of the deal fully carry out their obligations under the agreement, Iran would also "resume meeting our obligations completely."