The U.S. government intends to request the United Nations to restore sanctions on Iran

　　China News Agency, Washington, August 19 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) U.S. President Trump stated at the White House on the 19th that the United States will request the United Nations to restore "almost all" sanctions on Iran on the 20th.

　　Trump announced the news at a press conference held that day. He once again criticized the Iran nuclear agreement as a failure of the Obama administration's foreign policy, and called the agreement "catastrophic."

　　Trump said, "I have instructed Secretary of State Pompeo to inform the UN Security Council that the United States plans to resume almost all previously suspended UN sanctions on Iraq."

　　The United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018, and adopted a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran's diplomacy and economy. Earlier, the United States has announced sanctions against Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and other high-level Iranian officials, as well as imposing sanctions on Iranian oil, steel, mining companies and Iran’s central bank. In January of this year, the US military killed Soleimani, the Iranian military commander, and even more so that US-Iran relations were once at war.

　　The US State Department issued a statement on the evening of the 19th, stating that Pompeo will travel to New York from August 20 to 21 to notify the United Nations Security Council of the United States initiating procedures to restore Iran sanctions. The sanctions will include the prohibition of Iran's uranium enrichment activities and the extension of the arms embargo on Iran for another 13 years.

　　The statement revealed that Pompeo will also meet with UN Secretary General Guterres to discuss Iran and other issues of common concern.

　　The draft resolution proposed by the United States to extend the UN arms embargo on Iraq accepted a written vote in the Security Council from 13 to 14 but was not passed. Since then, Trump has stated that the United States will seek the United Nations to quickly restore sanctions on Iraq.

　　The American media pointed out that since the United States is no longer a participant in the Iran nuclear agreement, other members of the United Nations are likely to ignore this request from the United States.

　　A spokesperson for Josep Borelli, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, recently stated that the United States is no longer a participant in the Iran nuclear agreement and therefore has no right to initiate a mechanism to quickly restore United Nations sanctions against Iran.

　　Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said on the 14th that as a withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement, the United States has lost its qualifications as a participant in the agreement and has no right to request the Security Council to initiate a rapid resumption of sanctions. The United States’ attempts have no legal basis. This includes China. The consensus of the vast majority of Council members. (Finish)